Like a Hurricane
by Tikala
Summary: When she accepted to perform in Stuttgart, she didn't think that night would turn her life upside-down. Hiding from her dark past -not unlike Loki's-, she's caught between SHIELD and Loki, who both want her power. Then her past catches up to her. LokixOC
1. Awakening

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 1 - Awakening**_

Vera Blau was very happy to perform that evening in Stuttgart. At least, that was her earlier thought, but now, seeing the panicking crowd and enduring the screams abusing her sensitive ears, she was beginning to doubt it was a wise decision to accept the invitation to the string-quartet.

She clutched her violin to herself as the torrent of people swept her away from the spacious hall where a seemingly mad man decided to assault the host of the event. Vera's height was average, but she felt like a dwarf amongst the tall people who attended this evening. It was no wonder when she ended up struggling in the middle of the crowd. She made it to the streets, before losing her footing.

'KNEEL!' she heard a man's voice shout just as blue light lit up around the crowd for a minute. The people immediately fell silent and knelt as one. Vera was busy inspecting her grazed knee, but she heard him talking. His words were arrogant and the whole situation stirred something familiar in the back of her mind, but before she could latch onto the memory, it faded away, as always.

'It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation' the man said. Several people glanced down, ashamed. The others looked on, fearfully and Vera finally glanced up at him. He wore strange, _unearthly_ clothes, but there was no doubt he was the one from earlier. 'The bright lure of freedom diminishes for your life's joy, in a mad scramble for power... for identity.'

"_He's gesturing as if we were in a theatre and he was the leading actor"_ Vera noted and her gaze was drawn to his emerald green eyes. Crazy or not, he had beautiful eyes and a pleasant voice which distracted her momentarily, as he continued, nearing her.

'You were made to be ruled... In the end, you will always kneel' he smiled, clearly enjoying the situation. Vera put a hand to her suddenly aching heart.

For a moment, there was silence. Then an elderly man slowly stood up nearby.

'Not to men like you' he said.

Vera was only a couple of people away and she felt her heart beat loudly. The old man's words stirred that familiar, but fleeting feeling in her, again.

The strangely dressed man only laughed, amused.

'There are no men like me.'

'There are always men like you.'

'Look to your elder, people' the young man said, lifting his spear once again. 'Let him be an example.'

The old man paled as the spear was pointed at him. The blue stone at the end of the weapon lit up and Vera, who was near, could feel the charges in the air. The blood drained out of her face as she realized he intended to kill the old man.

'NO!' she shouted, jumping in the way. Her body acted on its own and shielded the old man as the blue blast of light from the spear caught her in the side. She felt content that she saved the brave old man, but everything suddenly ceased to exist the next moment. As if a film had been suddenly cut off.

* * *

'What should we do with the woman?' Steve asked as they hauled Loki into the aircraft.

'With whom?' Natasha asked.

'I wasn't fast enough and Loki's attack injured someone' Captain America explained. It was clear he felt guilt.

'Leave her' Loki advised, staring back with a blank face when they glared at him. 'She should be dead.'

Steve marched up to him and planted his fist near the Aesir's head. He looked him in the eye, with fury.

'I had no doubt about your intentions' he spat, before turning around and going outside to look for the woman.

The others prepared for flight and he soon returned with a small body in his arms. She looked about as tall as Natasha was and though her face was pale, she was still breathing. A huge burnt mark covered her left side and her scorched skin could be seen through the hole in her blouse.

'She's still alive! Let's bring her back to the helicarrier!' Steve said, securing her on a seat, opposite of where Loki sat.

'She's a civilian' Natasha said, already closing the hatch.

'So am I' Tony reminded her.

'That's different.'

'So what? Are you going to dump her in a public hospital?' Iron Man demanded, sliding his mask over his head.

There was silence for a moment, before Steve spoke up again:

'According to him' he nodded in Loki's general direction, 'she should be dead.'

'Yes' Natasha said, lifting the aircraft off the ground.

'But she isn't. You see the problem.'

'Wait a minute' Tony interjected. 'Are you saying it's a problem she's alive and wasn't killed by him?' he jabbed a metallic finger at Loki who frowned.

'No!' Steve shook his head to clear his thoughts. 'Listen; all I'm saying is that it's strange. And we don't know how that weapon affects people, and there's no guarantee that they can help her in a general hospital.'

Natasha let out a barely audible sigh as she made a decision.

'All right, let's bring her in.'

* * *

'What did you say about her injuries?' asked the doctor when the unconscious woman was brought to the medical bay.

'Her left side is burnt!' Steve exclaimed, gesturing towards Vera's still form. 'Can't you see the burn marks?'

He was usually polite and respectful, but the guilt and helplessness he felt towards the innocent woman who was caught in the crossfire and he couldn't save, made him less than agreeable.

'I only see them on her clothes' the doctor replied, scowling. 'She doesn't have any marks on her body.'

Steve blinked, his expression blank.

'Come again?'

'See for yourself' the doctor nodded towards Vera and Steve stepped next to her. He leant down and after a quick internal debate, pulled the blouse away from the woman's ribs. Where there should had been scorch marks, there was absolutely nothing. Not even slightly pink, fading marks.

Nothing.

Steve straightened up, thinking.

'The director should know about this.'

'I agree' the doctor said. 'I'll keep a close eye on her, until she wakes up.'

Steve curtly nodded and strolled out of the medical bay to report to Fury.

* * *

One moment she was floating in blissful unawareness, in warm blackness, then the next, she sucked in a lungful of air and was wide awake. She instantly sat up, wanting to look around, but instead buried her face in her hands. Vera felt disoriented as if the events in her head weren't continuous. As if she had to remember something very important, but her head didn't want to cooperate. Shards of memories floated around her mind, with no references.

'She's awake' she heard a man's voice. Vera looked at him, eyes narrowed as she studied him; a human, middle-aged, in a white coat. Where did she see coats like his?

'Agent Romanov is on her way' a voice answered in the earpiece the man wore.

Strange... she didn't remember such technology...

The man nodded and stepped next to her.

'How are you feeling?'

She only cocked her head sideways, with a questioning look as she examined him. He coughed, uncomfortable with her scrutinizing gaze and looked around briefly.

'Do you know who you are?'

'Of course I–' she began arrogantly, but a sudden headache cut her off mid-sentence. Series of memories surfaced and finally, the pieces fell into place. The amount of information she received in such a short time was overwhelming her. She gripped her head, leaning over.

'Are you in pain?' the doctor asked and she couldn't bit back a sarcastic comment:

'No, I'm pulling my hair in extasy' she let her hands fall down and looked the man in the eye: 'Why, what did it look like to you?'

'There's no need to be so hostile' a woman's voice interrupted. The newcomer had red hair and dark blue eyes. For an oblivious eye, her posture seemed relaxed, but Vera could see the tension in her muscles.

'Hmph' she turned away from the redhead.

'Do you remember what had happened?'

Vera was slowly massaging her temples. Her long, brown hair obscured the others' view of her face and she could dive into her thoughts, examining the new memories and putting them together, like pieces of an elaborate puzzle.

It took effort, but a continuous story finally emerged. The moment she questioned her kind's way of living, her experiment that followed and the harsh punishment for her curiosity and wish to create a better world for humans. For everyone.

She lost more than a century over her foolish aspirations. It wasn't worth it. _They_ weren't worth it.

* * *

'Well?' Natasha crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

'Why are you asking me these questions?'

'Because we need to know the answer.'

'Why?'

'So we can help you' the doctor replied.

The patient scowled at the needle poking out of her arm. She pulled it out in one fluid motion.

'It's not advisable to–'

'Don't tell me what to do' she bit out, looking him directly in the eyes. Natasha could finally see the colour of her irises.

'Red...?' the agent asked, momentarily confused. That was, undoubtedly, not natural. 'Do you wear contacts?'

'That is for me to know and for you to find out' Vera replied, smoothly.

Natasha crossed her arms, the first obvious sign of her annoyance.

'All right, let's quit fooling around.'

'Finally' Vera sighed.

'What are you?'

'Well, aren't you blunt?'

'Miss Blau, when we found you, you had a very serious burn mark on your body and by the time we arrived here, it disappeared. We'd like to know why.'

Vera looked at her, blankly. She wasn't going to correct her use of her alias. She had too little information to trust them with her real identity.

'And I'd like to know where exactly is 'here' and who are the 'we' you are talking about.'

They stared at each other for a long moment; if Natasha was unnerved by Vera's red gaze, she didn't show it.

'All right,' she gave in, 'it isn't as if you could just walk out of here.' Vera suppressed a snort. 'You are at the headquarters of SHIELD.'

Vera blinked, then finally climbed out of her bed, shaking her head.

'As if that should mean anything to me...' she mumbled, fingering the the damaged part of her blouse. She looked up at Natasha, poking a finger out of the burnt hole. 'Hey, any chance I could get a change of clothes?'

* * *

Vera needed time to organize her thoughts and decide on her next action. _"Well, it shouldn't be hard: get out of here! Then I can contemplate over the injustice of life..."_ She was stalling as she put the clothes on SHIELD provided for her. It was one of their uniforms. Vera scowled. _"Great. Now I look like one of them."_

That might come in handy when she planned her escape. She also needed to find out if they took a blood sample while she was asleep. No matter how she enjoyed chaos on occasions, the consequences this time would be unimaginably dire. Well, Vera could imagine and that was what made her decide to destroy all the cupboards in the medical bay which contained blood samples. Not to mention it was good practice.

She finished putting on the clothes and brushed her hair with her hands. She lost her hairpin the night in Stuttgart and now the long brown tresses were getting in the way every now and then. She idly wondered how much time had passed since that ominous event. Vera walked outside the small room to the medical bay and she swept her gaze around.

It was easy to locate the cupboard containing the blood samples.

'Miss Blau' a new voice spoke and she curiously looked over at the man. He held out his hand. 'Nick Fury.'

She nodded curtly, but didn't take his hand. Fury let his arm drop back to his side.

'I'm the director of SHIELD and would like you to clear up some of our confusion.'

'I bet you do.'

'Pardon?' his one good eye narrowed.

Vera ignored him for the moment and turned to the doctor who attended to her: 'Did you take any blood samples?'

'I don't see how it is–' he started, but she interrupted the doctor:

'Clearly.'

He held her gaze for a moment, before it flickered towards the cupboard Vera had located earlier. So they did and it was in there, just as she suspected.

'That was foolish' she allowed, before marching toward the cupboard.

'Miss Blau–' Fury addressed her, but she waved her hand impatiently. The sound of glass breaking reached their ears the next second, and Vera suppressed a wince. She destroyed not only the cupboard containing the blood samples, but also the others nearby, packed with medicine. She glared at her hand, as if to reprimand it.

She was definitely out of practice.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: I'm going to write this only this once, because I think it's ridiculous, because, after all, this is a 'fan fiction' site, so of course I do not own any Marvel-related or any other elements you recognize in this story. However, anyone and plot-points you don't recognize from the movie (or somewhere else), would be my creation._

_Now, that's out of the system; I do hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Let me know your thoughts and thank you for reading it :)  
_

_Special thanks to: Jazz, Sweet and Betty, for being my lab ra-I mean, focus group and providing me with much needed insight. Thank you!  
And FFNet for not allowing me to upload immediately after registration, so I could work out the kinks in this chapter before publishing it ;)  
_


	2. Ally or not?

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 2 – Ally or not?**_

'Miss Blau?' Fury asked, his hand next to the gun strapped on his thigh. Natasha wasn't so patient: she was already pointing her weapon at Vera.

'Oops?'

A look of disbelief crossed Fury's face.

'That's the best you can offer?'

'I didn't mean to blow up half the cupboards in here' Vera explained. She slowly let her arm down, mindful of Natasha's loaded gun.

'Your profile didn't say anything about you having supernatural powers' Fury remarked.

'It shouldn't have.'

'What's your intention?' Natasha asked, tense.

Vera raked her hand through her hair, stalling and thinking.

'You did not need that blood sample, believe me.'

'Believing you right now is at the bottom of my list,' Fury replied, 'right next to believing Loki.'

'Are you trying to flatter me?' Vera asked, cocking her head to the side. She idly wondered if the director spent his free time reading up on Norse mythology.

'Trust me: that's far from flattering' Natasha helped, to which, Vera rolled her eyes. These humans lacked humour. She needed to get away soon if she wasn't going to be entertained.

'You don't trust me, I don't trust you, so I don't see the problem why can't you let me go' Vera let out a small smile, intended to be friendly. By the feeling on her face, it came out more as a grimace.

'Aside from the fact that you have potentially dangerous powers,' Nick Fury started, 'we're currently about thirty-thousand feet above the ocean.'

'WHAT!'

Vera looked around frantically, trying to find a window, but it was to no avail. She fought her instincts to clear her way and run outside the room to find a place where she can confirm Fury's statement. Her fingers twitched and it didn't escape the attention of the agents present.

'What do you want from me?' she asked. Her voice lowered to an icy level.

Before anyone could get a word in, Vera felt a sting in her neck. Grimacing, she lifted her hand to it and felt around for a tiny dart. She pulled it out and glanced at the source. The meek doctor from before held a gun in his hand. Vera sniffed the tip of the dart, made a face and let it fall to the ground.

Nobody moved for a long moment. The humans were tense and Vera was waiting for an explanation, but her temper was rising every second she didn't hear one. She could feel a vein throbbing on the left side of her temple.

'Siiiir...' the doctor stammered, taking a step back. 'She should be unconscious by now. She is... not.'

'I can see that' Fury bit back. Vera took a step forward with her right foot, but stopped, reminding herself of Natasha's gun trailing her movements.

'I am _this_ close to let go of any ounce of control I have' Vera hissed as she raised her hand and showed two of her fingers which almost touched. 'This. Close. Explain.'

It was getting harder and harder to contain her fury, but she gave a last chance to them. Her older sister would be so proud.

The thought made her scowl.

Fury opted for a diplomatic approach, spreading his hands to his side, palm upside.

'Why don't we sit down and talk this through?'

'With a gun pointed at my head?'

Fury gestured for Natasha to lower her weapon. She hesitated for a moment, before tucking the gun away, against her better judgement, but made sure it was easily accessible, should she need it.

Vera relaxed her tense composure, but her red eyes still gleamed threatening. She nodded to show her agreement.

'Let's go to the conference room' Fury suggested, before turning around and leading the way. Vera followed after a heartbeat, with Natasha in tow.

* * *

The walk to the conference room was short and Vera examined the corridors and the personnel on the way, noting weapons and trying to understand the layout. She wasn't successful in the latter, but only because she didn't trust her control over her powers at the moment. She needed to be careful, lest she harm one of the agents in a fatal way with her mind-probing.

When they arrived at the conference room, she had to bit down on her lip to not make an angry sound. There were already people in there and even though she felt rusty, she could clearly see they were no ordinary humans. She felt as if she had just walked into a den with the most dangerous animals on Earth, without any way to defend herself.

The three of them filed in and everyone stood up. Vera wasn't going to be the first one to sit down. Some of them looked at her suspiciously, the others, curiously. Then there was one man who didn't mind swiping his appreciative gaze up and down her body.

Amuse flickered in her eyes as she crossed her arms and put her weight on her right side, making her hip jut out. The dark brown gaze of the man finally settled on her face. He seemed the most ordinary human out of the lot, excluding the two agents who escorted her and she idly wondered about this unusual group.

'Nice outfit' he complimented and she acknowledged with a curt nod.

'Nice suit' she replied.

'Thanks' he smiled, then added: 'But you only say this, because you haven't seen the other one, yet.'

Vera wasn't sure what he was referring to. He didn't mind her hesitation as he stuck his hand out, introducing himself:

'Tony Stark.'

Recognition flickered in the woman's eyes as she understood his earlier statement.

'The infamous Iron Man' she shook his hand.

'Took you long enough' he managed, but winked. Vera immediately liked his easy-going nature.

A cough in the background interrupted her musings and she let go of Tony's hand as they turned to Fury.

'I assume you know the others in this room.'

Vera looked at him blankly and he took the cue.

'Then... this is agent Romanov, known as the Black Widow' he gestured to the red-headed woman who had held Vera at gunpoint, then continued on with the quick introductions. 'Captain Steve Rogers' he pointed out a man in a blue and red outfit that should had been left in the world of comics, not brought into real life. After a moment, she remembered seeing him back, in Germany. But if he was a human, why did he look like as if he hadn't aged in fifty-or-so years? Vera was slightly put off, but followed Fury's speech:

'Doctor Banner,' No, she most definitely didn't recognize him. 'And Thor.'

'Thor...' Vera mumbled, her eyebrows furrowing. 'As in the Aesir the people of the North regarded as God of Thunder?'

She had to crane her neck to look up in his face. He was very tall, very muscled and had long blonde hair. He was the epitome of the picture that came to mind when one thought of vikings.

'You've heard of me?' he looked flattered.

'Of course.'

'And this is Miss Vera Blau' Fury finally introduced her. 'Although I highly doubt that is her real name.'

The woman in question held Thor's gaze curiously for a moment more, before turning to Fury.

'That would be a correct assumption.'

'Oooh, secret identity!' Tony spoke up with a grin. 'I like that!'

Fury walked over to a cupboard and retrieved a stack of files, dumping them unceremoniously on the round conference table. He looked at Vera expectantly.

'These are about you, Miss Blau. Or should I say, Miss González?' he gauged her reaction, but the woman's face was carefully blank, so he kept on: 'Maybe Miss Scarlett O'Hara would be more appropriate?'

'That was a mistake' she sighed.

'Obviously, but I can still continue the list' Fury remarked, before turning serious: 'These names span more than one lifetimes and are clearly not your true name.'

'Why does it matter to you?' she asked, letting a little bit of irritation lace her voice.

'I was under the impression we were going to talk this out, civilized.'

They stared down each other for a long minute, making everyone tense and Natasha's hand twitching towards her gun.

'Chantrea' she finally acquiesced.

'What a beautiful name' Tony had to interject. 'What language uses it?'

Vera – or more precisely, Chantrea – glanced in his direction, aware of his plan.

'You won't find anything in your database' she assured them. Pleased with their annoyed look, she finally felt in enough control to sit down at the conference table. After a moment, everyone followed her example, except the director.

"_Figures"_ she thought, just barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

Tony, who rarely felt uncomfortable in any situation, smoothly picked up the conversation:

'So, you're older than you look and heal fast–'

'And can blow up half of the medical bay with a flick of her hand' Natasha helpfully added, making the others go wide-eyed.

'It wasn't my intention' Chantrea felt the need to defend her actions. In the background, Doctor Banner stood up and began pacing. He didn't seem to be able to sit in one place for even a short time. Meanwhile, Tony quickly gathered his composure.

'So, besides these things, what else can you do?' he asked, genuinely curious.

'Wouldn't you like to know?'

'Miss Chantrea' Nick Fury planted his fists on the table. He looked intimidating for a human, that she could give him credit for, but she faced far worse than him, on countless occasions.

This time, she couldn't fight the urge to roll her eyes.

'You have your own secrets, let me have some of mine. A woman is only interesting as long as she keeps some' she replied, brushing off his concern. 'And I still don't trust you.'

'The same goes for us' Steve spoke up for the first time.

'I imagined you would say that' Chantrea nodded, a smile playing in the corner of her mouth.

Doctor Banner momentarily stopped his pacing, a placating smile on his face:

'Now, don't be so jumpy.'

Chantrea bit back the comment that _he_ seemed the most jumpy out of everyone there.

'Let me tell you straight,' Fury began and immediately had Chantrea's full attention, 'we could use your talents in the upcoming war, but I need to know I can count on you.'

'War?'

'Loki has an army called the Chitauri, that none of Asgard nor any world know' Thor spoke up and he held everyone's attention. 'He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.'

'An army...' the look of disbelief was clear on Steve's face, 'from outer space.'

'Wait, Loki?' Chantrea looked at Thor, questioningly. 'Another Aesir?'

'I don't think we should be focusing on Loki' Doctor Banner said, gesturing nervously with his glasses in his hand. 'That guy's brain is a bag full of cats; you could smell crazy on him.'

'Have care how you speak' Thor interrupted him, standing up and slowly walking toward the Doctor. 'Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard... and he's my brother.'

'He killed eighty people in two days' Natasha reminded everyone. Surprise shone in Chantrea's eyes for a moment, as she soaked up all the new information. Thor's brief silence gave away his discomfort. He couldn't help mentioning:

'He's adopted.'

'You brought your family disagreements to my Planet and want me–us to help in sorting this out?' Chantrea asked him, flabbergasted. She stood up during speaking.

'As you pointed out, it is our Planet' Fury replied, before Thor could answer. 'We need to defend it against his schemes.'

'Why would I help you?'

'You know, it's about the Planet you live on...' Steve reminded her and she turned a glare at him.

'I do care about Earth, unlike humans' she retorted.

'Don't say that' Tony spoke up. 'Humans–we like peace! _I_ like peace!' He looked around at everyone, nodding to get their agreements.

'Says the man who made a fortune of constructing and selling weapons of mass destruction to aide in wars?' Chantrea countered. Tony Stark's attitude entertained her, yes, but that didn't mean she couldn't point out a contradiction when she saw one.

The pleasant smile disappeared from the multimillionaire's face, giving way to a dark, serious look which didn't suit his bright personality. The was no hint of humour in his voice when he replied:

'I am aware of my naivety regarding such matters in the past. I'm out of the weapons business now and try to make a better world.'

Chantrea was silent for a moment. His comment caught her off-guard, reminding her of her own wrongdoings in the past. Really, who was she to judge this man, when she caused much more grief in her long life than him?

'I wish you succeed' she said, quietly, sincerely. It was only for his ears. Then she turned back to Fury, her voice clear and loud, just as before:

'I'm not allowed to have a say in matters that concern the human race.'

These words were a bitter reminder of the past and the punishment she suffered. She never would had thought that one day she would willingly use them as an excuse, but she needed time to get back her former power and find conviction. Everything was so chaotic after her long slumber.

'So you're actually...' Doctor Banner gestured towards her. 'Not... human?'

Chantrea didn't feel the need to grace him with an answer.

'I want to get off this ship ASAP' she addressed Fury. It came out more sharply than she would had liked, but nonetheless, served its purpose.

'No' the director replied, slowly.

'No?' Chantrea raised an elegant eyebrow. 'Am I a prisoner here?'

'That depends on your answer.'

'On what, pray tell?' She was nearing the end of her patience.

'Are you absolutely sure you won't assist us?' Fury asked, leaning a bit forward, towering over her. If he thought his height would intimidate her, he was sadly mistaken.

Chantrea leant forward on her hands, looking him straight in the eye.

'I am one hundred percent sure I want nothing to do with this.'

Fury looked as if he would attack her any second, but he took a breath and straightened up.

'Then you are a prisoner.'

* * *

She fumed as she was lead away in a throng of armed agents. They even handcuffed her! If her powers weren't so unstable, she would–

The wall beside them suddenly caved in. Everyone froze in the corridor for a moment, looking at it, horrified. Chantrea suppressed her anger as best as she could.

"_Uncontrollable power tied to my emotions. Fabulous"_ she noted inwardly, biting her lip, so she could concentrate on something else other than her predicament.

After the incident in the hallway, they arrived at their destination shortly. Chantrea looked up when they had stopped on a ramp, leading up to a glass cage in the middle. She caught a look at the man who was inside, before they unclasped the handcuffs and tossed her inside, unceremoniously.

'You've got to be kidding me' she gaped at her cellmate. The glass door slid closed with a swish behind her, trapping her in with the crazy man from Stuttgart. He looked at her as if one would look at an exotic animal in a zoo. His face cleared as he recognized her.

'You are the woman who should be dead.'

'And you are the man who owes me a Stradivarius.'

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for the focus group, Jazz & Sweet :)_

_I'm aware that the name change must be a bit confusing, that's why I wanted to get it out of the way, the sooner the better, but this was the earliest point where I could do that. Now you can feel a little of Chantrea's confusion xD  
About her past - I hope you caught some hints, I tried not to overwhelm anyone AND at the same time, to give out some information. It's a delicate balance, I could only hope I succeeded.  
_

_One (actually, two) more thing(s): you see that I've used some lines from the movie. As much as I love Joss Whedon's brilliant scripts and find myself occasionally quoting them, I'm gonna assume you all had already seen the movie, so I want to get the plot moving. And I'm sorry in advance if the script is sometimes inaccurate - I'm not a native speaker of English language and I could've misheard it and the subtitles I've found online... well, they weren't made by professionals.  
_

_Last, but most (?) important: WOW! 3 reviews, 224 hits, 2 favs & 14 alerts overnight! And one author alert. And I've got people who read the first chapter from literally all over the Globe! The only continent which didn't appear was Antarctica :o I'm flattered and very thankful! (Hence the fast update.) So, thank you very much! I'm very happy you like my story so!  
And sorry for the long A/N, I'll try to keep them short in the future. I know, _I_ skip them sometimes when reading...  
_


	3. At each other's throat

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 3 – At each other's throat**_

Loki looked puzzled at her statement.

'What?'

'My violin, which had been smashed into smithereens by your attack, was a Stradivarius' Chantrea elaborated, while crossing her arms, impatiently.

Loki lifted a finger and slowly shook his head.

'If I recall correctly, you were the one who jumped right in.'

'I wouldn't have if you didn't attack.'

'I simply wished to make an example' Loki replied, matter-of-factly.

Chantrea bit the inside of her cheek and narrowed her eyes. _"This is going nowhere."_

'This is going nowhere.'

Loki cocked his head to the side and took a step forward. Chantrea immediately unfolded her arms and shifted her weight to be prepared if she needed to move quickly. Loki smirked, enjoying her reaction and stopped a couple of steps before her.

'And where, pray tell, do you want it to go?'

Chantrea kept silent. Most likely, because she herself didn't have a clue, but Loki didn't need to know that. The man continued with a fleeting smile.

'I do not think you understand your situation, undead woman.'

'Your logic is flawed' Chantrea bit out. She felt the vein on her forehead throb as the restraints on her anger slowly slipped away, one by one. The man was _that_ infuriating.

'Oh?' he faked surprise, clearly enjoying her reactions.

Chantrea closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself. The last thing she wanted was to entertain a man like him. She kept a carefully blank face as she met his emerald green gaze, again.

'It failed when you assumed I was human.'

"_It doesn't really matter in this situation"_ she convinced herself. _"But I don't do well when I'm insulted and those others already know this much."_

'How very interesting.' It was clear from his tone that he thought the exact opposite. Loki went to circle around the edge of the cage, with his hands clasped behind his back. Chantrea didn't let her gaze wander away his form, not even for a moment. They really were like two caged animals. Two, _very dangerous_ animals. 'You look human enough to me.'

'_You_ look human enough to me' she used his own words, knowing the weight of the insult as he would take it.

He was suddenly in front of her, leaning into her face. She blinked, not expecting the abrupt movement, but stayed still, not wanting to give him the satisfaction to see her intimidated.

'I am the God of Mischief!' he said, uncomfortably close. And if it wasn't enough, he pointed a finger in her face. Chantrea was tempted to snatch at his finger, just to see his reaction. She barely restrained herself. Then the words registered. 'I am–'

'Wait' she held up an open palm and guided his finger away from her nose. He was surprised enough at this reaction not to protest immediately. 'You're Loki?'

He nodded, gauging her reaction.

'So you've heard of me' he said and it didn't escape Chantrea that he used almost the exact same words as his brother a little while ago. But he still didn't retreat.

'_The_ Loki they're warring against?' Chantrea asked, gesturing outside. She looked confused.

'Yes.'

'But if you're here, you can't lead your army; why are they so jumpy as to want to recruit me?' she mumbled, more to herself than to Loki as she raked a hand through her hair. Nonetheless, he replied:

'That won't always be the case.'

'Right.' Sarcasm was heavily dripping from her voice.

'You don't believe me' Loki observed, cocking his head to the side as he planted a hand next to Chantrea's head, on the glass wall. She felt the close proximity beginning to get on her nerves. Her eyes flashed and she placed her palms on his chest, trying to shove him away. No such luck. He was as solid as rock.

Chantrea glared at him, even more when she noticed his eyes which betrayed his brief amusement at her struggle.

'If you can't get out now, you won't be able to get out later. And if you can get out now, why wait later?'

'Wouldn't you like to know?' Loki echoed her answer to Tony's question. He couldn't had possibly known this; nonetheless, it pissed Chantrea off that much more.

She shoved him away – this time using her power and with success. He landed on his back, on the other side of the glass cage. He leant up on his elbows, looking at her puzzled for a second. The brief surprise left as quickly as it came when he realized what she did. A calculating smile graced his face as he rose, dusting off his clothes.

He chuckled, nodding to himself and spared a glance at Chantrea from the corner of his eyes.

'You know, I could use that talent of yours.'

'I won't be used.'

'Is that what you had told them, before they tossed you inside this contraption?' Loki asked, smirking. He started to walk along the perimeter and Chantrea matched his steps to put as much distance between them as she could.

When he reached the bench opposite of the exit, he sat down.

Chantrea glared at him.

'Has anyone ever told you you're infuriating?'

'Hn. I've been called many things.'

And that was that. The conversation – if it could be called that – ended and they spent the next couple of hours in absolute silence. Chantrea's legs became tired, so she sat down on the floor, but it was uncomfortable. Using telekinesis, she floated a few inches above the cold floor, organizing her thoughts and concentrating to find her restraint over her gifts.

* * *

Their solitude was interrupted by agent Romanov, just as Chantrea was trying to decide whether she had enough control by that time to make her escape. She sighed and moved herself away from the door as the Black Widow appeared. She didn't forget Loki's presence, either; so in the end, the three of them made a triangle.

'I bet you figured out I'd come' Natasha said, her gaze on Loki. He stood up and took a couple of steps towards her. Chantrea was happy to be ignored for the moment.

'After' he replied. Loki continued as he slowly made his way closer to the agent. 'After whatever tortures Fury can concoct, you would appear as a friend, as a balm. And I would cooperate.' His smile was wide.

'I wanna know what you've done to agent Barton' Natasha bit out, tense.

'I'd say I've expanded his mind.'

'And once you've won...' she walked up the ramp and stood directly in front of him as she spoke, 'Once you're king of the mountain,' she crossed her arms, 'what happens to his mind?'

'Is this love, agent Romanov?' Loki asked, seemingly curious.

'Love is for children' she replied, smoothly. 'I owe him a debt.'

'Tell me.'

Loki retreated back to the bench and sat down. As relaxed and in charge he looked like, Chantrea could easily imagine him sipping a cup of tea and eating some cookies as he waited for Natasha to tell him a story. As if they were in a garden, on a pleasant afternoon.

Except in reality, there was no sunshine, no tea and certainly not any cookies; only a cage made of metal and glass. Chantrea shook her head to chase the image from her mind. This man didn't seem to care about the situation, at all.

Natasha took a deep breath and licked her lips nervously. Finally, she gave in.

'Before I worked for SHIELD...' she began as she walked over to the chair on the side of the ramp and sat down, before continuing: 'I... well, I made a name for myself. I have a very specific skillset. I didn't care what I used it for... or on.'

Chantrea perked up her ears, curiously listening to the story. Thankfully, Loki remained quiet throughout the Black Widow's reminiscence.

'I got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way' Natasha confessed. 'Agent Barton was sent to kill me... he made a different call.'

Loki was nodding in understanding.

'And what will you do if I vow spare him?'

'I'll not let you out' she shook her head.

'Oh, no, but I like this' Loki said, leaning forward on his seat with a smile. He clearly enjoyed the situation. 'Your world in the balance, and you bargain for one man.'

'Regimes fall everyday' Natasha replied easily, shaking her head, again. 'I tend not to weep over that; I'm Russian.'

She added, as an afterthought: 'Or I was.'

Chantrea suppressed a chuckle at this, and Loki glanced her way, briefly, before bringing his attention back to the conversation at hand:

'And what are you now?'

'It's really not that complicated' Natasha stood up, crossing her arms and walking over to the glass, again. 'I've got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out.'

'Can you?' Loki asked, sceptical. 'Can you wipe out that much red...?' Then he started listing some of her crimes: 'Drakov's daughter? Sao Paulo? The hospital fire?'

Natasha was silent, but her discomfort could be easily seen.

'Barton told me everything' Loki admitted, standing up. Chantrea followed his every motion with her gaze, sensing a dangerous aura gradually unfolding around him. She most definitely didn't want to get caught in the crossfire, again.

'Your ledger is dripping; it's gushing red!' Loki said fiercely as he neared Natasha. He seemed to forget that there was anyone else there or that the camera was recording everything. 'You think saving a man no more virtuous than yourself will change anything? This is the basest sentimentality...' he scoffed. 'This is a child's prayer; pathetic!' he spat. Natasha gulped nervously, hearing his speech, but he wasn't done.

'You lie, and kill; in the service of liars and killers... You pretend to be separate, to have your own code – something that makes up for the horrors. But they are a part of you... and they will never go away.'

BAM!

Chantrea gave a start at the sudden noise Loki just made by banging his fist on the reinforced glass. He looked... feral.

'You won't touch Barton! Not till I make him kill you...' Loki carefully pronounced each and every word he spat into Natasha's alarmed face. 'Slowly... intimately... in every way he knows you fear; and then he'll wake just long enough to see his good work, and when he screams I'll split his skull!' he explained convincingly. By this time, Natasha wasn't facing him as she cowered in fear.

'This is my bargain, you mewling quim!' Loki ended his tirade and Chantrea winced at his choice of words.

She watched the exchange, full of tension. On one hand, she wanted to curse Natasha to hell and back for riling up Loki this much when she was in his close vicinity, on the other hand... she was enthralled by his speech and the passion behind his words. Even if that insult was one of the harshest she heard in the last century.

Since slapping herself harshly on the cheek would had drawn unwanted attention, she opted for biting the inside of her cheek to scramble for the last bit of common sense she possessed. It was definitely not a good idea to lose sight of her goals. She glanced at Natasha, who was sobbing, and this made her momentarily forget her own delicate situation. Though she hardly knew the agent, she doubted her personality and training would allow her to cry over a threat, no matter how cruel it sounded. Chantrea narrowed her eyes, suspiciously.

'You're a monster' Natasha whispered through her tears. _"Oh, she's good"_ Chantrea approved in her mind. But Loki seemed oblivious. Evil or not, he was still a man in the end.

'Oh, no' he said, laughing. 'You brought the monster.'

The change in Natasha was instantaneous, and didn't surprise Chantrea as much as it threw Loki off.

'So, Banner? That's your play?' the agent inquired.

'What?' Loki looked honestly confused.

Natasha didn't waste any time as she walked away, already speaking into her earpiece.

'Loki means to unleash the Hulk. Keep Banner in the lab; I'm on my way. See that the door is locked.' She stopped for a moment, in front of the exit to the corridor, turning to Loki.

'Thank you, for your cooperation' Natasha said, allowing a small, polite smile, before turning and leaving a flabbergasted Loki behind.

Chantrea couldn't help it; she let out a chuckle, trying to muffle it with her hands, but she was unsuccessful. She drew Loki's attention to herself. He moved toward her, but this time, she was prepared and used her powers to launch herself to the opposite side of the glass cage. She twirled in the air, enjoying the fact that her telekinetic powers fully returned to her, before softly landing on her feet.

'She got you good' Chantrea smirked, as her eyes twinkled with mirth.

Loki let out a short laugh, before walking closer to her. Chantrea moved to avoid him, but a hand on her neck stilled her immediately. She flicked her gaze toward the Loki on the other side of the cage, then back at the one, holding her.

The image of him which stood farther, faded away and the real Loki's lips pulled up in a sneer. His grasp on Chantrea's neck tightened, barely allowing her to breathe. She grabbed onto his arm. Loki leant forward, completely ignoring her personal space.

'You think yourself mighty?' he mocked her. 'With one, tiny motion, I could rip your slender throat out, painting the glass as red as your eyes!'

Chantrea blinked with watery eyes, but her pride didn't allow her to back down from his challenge.

'I could snap yours before you could move' she hissed and lifted her index finger from his wrist, curling it. Loki immediately felt pressure on his Adam's apple.

For a long moment, neither of them moved, only examined each other's face, weighing their options. Then, Loki's fingers increased the pressure on Chantrea's neck and he was suddenly cut off of air. This silent battle lasted for a couple of heartbeats, until Loki loosened his grip and Chantrea eased the invisible hold she had over his throat.

They still didn't let go of each other, and Loki looked at the woman with fire in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to remind her of her place, to break her wild spirit. But at the same time, he was painfully reminded of her power, which he wished to use, whenever his grip tightened if only by a fraction.

Chantrea could see him struggling and it was clear for her that they were both too stubborn and proud to yield. But what made it truly complicated was her battle with her inner demons. Oh, how easy and fun it would be to join Loki in his plan to overtake the humans! She could easily accomplish it with such a partner, certainly.

If only the memory of her punishment didn't linger in the back of her mind like a suffocating, cold and heavy blanket wrapped around her, holding her back... She didn't want to relive the ignorance, the fear of being found out, always hiding and fleeing and struggling to survive, without her powers and precious memories. Not understanding why she didn't age or fell ill. Cursed, not belonging to humans, nor her own people.

'What a pity;' Chantrea sighed bitterly, breaking the silence between them, 'that we didn't meet centuries sooner.' She meant every word and wistfulness laced her voice for that moment. 'We would've made a fantastic couple! ... Of gods. A fantastic couple of gods.'

Internally, she winced at her traitorous tongue. Outwardly, she kept a completely blank face, and hoped against all that Loki didn't catch her slight pause.

The Aesir smirked, and was going to say something, but a loud sound interrupted him. He glanced up in the direction from where the explosion was heard. Then he gazed back into Chantrea's eyes and simply said:

'It's time.'

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: Thank for being my experimental reader, Jazz :)_

_Actually, I'm more nervous about this chapter than the first two, because this is the first time we see any _real_ interaction between Loki and Chantrea. And I would be immensely grateful if you could tell me what you think about it. Was it believable, how they acted? Were they in character? And did it come out alright when Chantrea was just observing Loki and Natasha's conversation?  
I hope you liked it. And thank you very much for those fantastic reviews; the lots of favs and alerts. And it's also in a C2 now! Yay! Thank you^^  
_


	4. Timing

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 4 – Timing**_

'Time for what?' Chantrea asked, puzzled, but before she could get any answer, the glass cage tilted and Loki was forced to let go of her if he wanted to maintain his balance. He noticed that the odd pressure in the air around his throat, which he had felt earlier, disappeared.

Chantrea was leaning on her palm on the glass door and holding out her other hand, trying to keep her balance. She succeeded, but the aircraft didn't level out.

'What happened?' she looked outside, and saw that nothing changed; except the hurrying and loud steps she could hear on the corridors.

'You didn't really think I would just rot here, without a plan' Loki scoffed, looking down on her. Chantrea's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She knew he was trying to rile her up, and right then, she didn't care to find out for what purpose. It wouldn't mean any disadvantage for her if she replied his challenge.

Her eyes became unfocused for a brief second, before she turned her palm, which rested on the glass surface, sideways. The door opened with a hiss and she sent a smirk in Loki's direction. The wide, satisfied smile on his handsome face made her scowl, before marching out of her prison.

She waved her hand, making the glass door close behind her, but to her disappointment, she could hear footsteps behind her. Damn. She wasn't fast enough.

They were almost at the end of the ramp, near to the controller with the big red button, when a horrifying roar ripped through the entire helicarrier. Chantrea froze at the sound so suddenly, Loki almost ran her over. They stumbled, but the woman was far more concerned by the roar than the dangerous presence right next to her.

'What was that?' she breathed, looking around with wide eyes. It sounded like a mighty beast.

'That?' An amused smile appeared on Loki's face as he stepped around her and went to the control panels. 'That was the sound of the monster.' A glance in Chantrea's direction confirmed that she had no idea what he was talking about. 'If you're unlucky enough, you'll see.'

'What a happy thought' she rolled her eyes, once she got over her initial shock. She crossed her arms, turning to her right and continuing down another ramp to the door where she saw Natasha exit before. She turned back halfway, before stepping out; Loki was looking at her, pensive. 'It was... interesting, meeting you.'

Then she turned away and simply walked out of the room.

* * *

It was pure chaos outside. Chantrea made use of the uniform she was wearing, by falling in step behind a group of men. She covered her face with her hair, and even though it wasn't allowed for agents, everyone was in a frenzy and no one paid mind to her as long as she didn't act out of place.

She made it with the group for several minutes, while looking around, trying to figure out where was the exit. They had just rounded a corner when they bumped into another team of armed people, who immediately opened fire. Chantrea was lucky she was in the background. She rolled away on the ground, back behind the corner, looking around to find something she could use. She couldn't go back and she wasn't looking forward to test her powers in a crossfire.

Her gaze found the ceiling. Jumping, she hoped her arms and legs were long enough to reach either side. She disappeared at the last second; the enemy group rounded the corner and ran down the corridor. They had moved with a purpose and didn't look for her. Chantrea let out a relieved sigh and she fell down.

'Oww...'

She decided to get started on some physical training, as soon as she got out of this hellhole. She picked herself up and ran down on a random hallway. Explosions and those terrifying roars shook the hallways as she struggled to keep her balance and find an exit.

She had found an abandoned hallway amidst the chaos. Chantrea hurried along, but had to stop at an intersection. Which way? She turned right and almost got smacked by something. She twirled away at the last moment and narrowed her eyes.

Was that a...?

'Hammers are flying low today' she remarked, then turned to the direction where it flew from. 'Right. This way, then.'

The farther she went, the more abandoned the place became. She lots count of the twists and turns after a few minutes. Her steps slowed down, unsure. There was no exit sing, not even a window or a door on the hallway she was currently on. Just when she thought to turn around and risk her way with the hammer, she noticed a very big, metal door at the end of the hallway.

She didn't hesitate as she ran full speed to it. There was pin-code pad on the door.

'Fabulous' Chantrea muttered, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She concentrated on opening the door with her powers, but they were still not up to what they used to be. She made a motion of opening the doors with her hands. For a long moment, she didn't hear anything, then the metal creaked as it gave way to her telekinesis. Chantrea opened her eyes and fought to complete her task.

She decided that a hole enough for her to crawl through between the two wings of the door would suffice and she jumped through it, before it closed on her. She glanced back, seeing her work and smirked. Now, she only needed a little more practice before she was as good as before.

The whole... thing tilted again, in a steeper way than it already had been. She skidded down, trying to find a hold. She could feel gravitation momentarily disappearing as they started a speedy descend. Chantrea's eyes widened. _"Don't tell me Fury was telling the truth!"_

When she finally found her balance – after much stumbling around –, she realized she wasn't alone as she thought. Natasha Romanov was sitting behind some crates, trembling. Chantrea froze, not sure how to react. The agent seemed to be in shock, which meant her mind was easily accessible.

Chantrea apologized, before gently touching the woman's head and feeling around with her mind. She quickly found the information she needed to get off the helicarrier. She could hear Fury's voice in Natasha's earpiece.

'It's Barton. He took out the out our systems. He's headed for the detention level.' He sounded urgent. 'Does anybody copy?'

Chantrea stepped back, behind the crater, out of Natasha's sight. She remained in the shadows, completely silent as the Black Widow gradually came back to her senses.

'This is agent Romanov' Natasha spoke, her words slurred a little bit. 'I copy.'

Then she was off. Chantrea waited a couple of minutes, before she, too, took off. She needed to get up a few levels, before she could reach the landing-strip. She would worry about other details later, when she was out.

* * *

Chantrea had to take more frequented corridors, but sneaking around wasn't as easy as it once had been. Everybody was on edge, so if they didn't recognize someone at first glance, it was highly likely that they would open fire. She had to duck out of range more than she cared to count.

'Oh, for the love of...!' she cut off her own sentence, turning around and running down the corridor, but the agents, whom she had encountered, pursued her. She was holding her head as she ran along, hoping that her powers would stop the bullets before they could reach her. Then she rounded a corner, the last before her destination and ran into a group of men. They weren't agents, but they lifted their guns at her without question.

'Shit!' she cursed as she realized she was struck between two, opposing forces and there was no way to hide. The team of agents rounded the corner behind her and the amount of bullets increased twofold.

Chantrea squatted down instantly and both group had lost a couple of people, before they realized she was in the middle. But this little amount of time was enough for her to draw out her telekinesis – her need to protect only helped make it stronger.

She held out both her hands at her side, palm facing the opposing forces. She cocked her head and her eyes became glazed over as she concentrated reaching out with her mind and slowing the bullets down. It took a minute for both groups to realize that their weapons were in vain against Chantrea. They ceased fire.

Chantrea did a falling motion with her palms and the bullets fell down as one. Her breathing was harsh, but she could feel the adrenalin rushing through her veins. She skipped, and ran toward the team which didn't consist of agents. They were in between her and the exit. Chantrea used her telekinesis while running, which made it seem for human eyes as if she disappeared, then reappeared a moment later.

She was right in front of the team, grabbing hold of the weapon before her and flinging it away. Its owner didn't let go; he went flying with the gun. The others immediately tried to open fire, but the bullets were stuck.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you' Chantrea advised, seeing them constantly pulling the trigger. She grimaced when one of the guns backfired, heavily injuring its holder. 'Told you.'

Chantrea jumped over their heads, landing behind them neatly. She ran down the corridor, hoping they wouldn't follow. They didn't, because as soon as she was out of sight, the group of agents opened fire, again.

Then they were after her. She rolled her eyes and almost didn't notice the door on her left. That was the one which led outside. _"Finally!"_ She pushed it open, not caring how much power she used, then closed it after stepping through. Chantrea ducked down in the little space, just as the agents appeared on the other side. When their footsteps faded, she opened the door on the other side and walked out.

The wind was violently whipping her hair around and it was very cold outside. And the whole landing-strip was tilting dangerously, forcing her to focus all her energy just to stay aboard. She gritted her teeth as she felt the first signs of fatigue and headache. The latter meant they were still at a high altitude, but she could feel the speedy descent.

Chantrea walked farther, over to a fighter jet, before she realized one, very important thing she forgot: she didn't know how to fly one of these.

She let out a series of curses in seven different languages, two of them which was dead. She had no way to get off this helicarrier... Then she remembered Loki.

* * *

Her teeth were chattering as she waited for him to appear. She was sure he had planned out his escape carefully and she intended to catch a ride with him. Finally, after a few, agonizingly cold minutes, he appeared, just as the whole aircraft leveled out. Chantrea eased the hold over her power and trotted over to Loki who was making a beeline to one of the smaller aircrafts.

'Really nice weather' she shouted over the violent wind. Loki glanced at her, but walked on, limping a bit. _"Ignoring me?"_

'Give me a lift?' Chantrea opted for short sentences. They had a higher chance of being heard over the roar of the winds.

'Why should I?' he finally stopped for a moment, looking at her over his shoulder.

Chantrea caught up to him and now was standing in a foot's distance.

'I can prevent you from leaving?' she offered with a fake smile. Loki looked her over, from head to toe, seeing her trembling, small figure and noticing her blue lips. He scoffed, obviously not believing her and stepped up on the ramp which lead to the belly of the helicopter.

Chantrea scowled and made a beckoning motion with her hand. All the fighter jets, which were strapped down, and Loki's ride, as well, moved towards her, accompanied with the loud, screeching sound of metal on metal. Chantrea hid her wince at the harsh sound.

'I can keep them like this all day, you know' she said conversationally, yelling to be heard.

Loki seemed to reconsider, because the next moment, he gestured for her to get in. She smiled and ran after him. Once they had settled down, the aircraft took off; with Loki was staring at the helicarrier, until the hatch closed.

Chantrea let out a relieved sigh. It was one thing to tell him she could go at it all day, it was another that that was completely a bluff. She could hold out for maybe an hour if they'd tried to get away. At maximum, but probably less.

She leant back and closed her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm down her body. The adrenaline still hadn't left her system and she was freezing. Then she felt the trembling began in her hands.

Chantrea glanced down. Her eyes widened – and that was all she allowed for her horror to materialize. It was too soon for this kind of thing to happen. She wasn't even a millenia old, for Heavens' sake! She clenched her fists and the trembling temporarily subsided. Gritting her teeth, she tried to understand what happened.

"_It's because I used too much after such a long time of slumber. It's just a little bit of exhaustion, nothing more."_ Funny. The more she repeated, the more she believed in it.

Loki was looking at her, pensive. It didn't escape Chantrea that he was holding his abdomen and his clothes had seen better days. Battered, they stared at each other, not trusting the figure who sat opposite of them.

'How long?' Loki asked and the pilot answered immediately:

'About two hours, sir.'

"_Fantastic"_ Chantrea grumbled in her mind. _"Well, if we could survive in that glass cage for at least half a day, then I guess these two hours wouldn't be fatal."_ Still, last time they breathed the same air, they were choking each other. Chantrea narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Loki.

'What?' he asked, for once, not amused.

'What's the destination?'

Loki didn't answer immediately. One of Chantrea's eyebrows rose, impatient. There was no point in keeping this information from her. She would know, at the very least when they had landed. Loki seemed to reach the same conclusion.

'New York.'

'Oh! Haven't been there for awhile...' Chantrea said, trying to remember the last time she'd been there. Right. In the sixties...

An awkward silence descended on them and Chantrea's trembling became more visible. Loki noticed, immediately. Annoyed, he tossed over the blanket next to him. Chantrea caught it, shocked. She looked at him dumbly.

'Do you need instructions how to use it?' Loki sneered, noticing her gaze.

Chantrea narrowed her eyes and quickly covered herself up.

'You are suspicious.'

'Can't I make a kind gesture?' he asked, with a little smile.

'No.'

'Ouch' he mocked, and put his hand over his heart.

Chantrea rolled her eyes and moved around a bit to get more comfortable. Finally, she was feeling her limbs. The only downside was that her trembling increased. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to meditate. That should help calm down her nerves and cease her shaking.

'Are you asleep?' Loki asked curiously, after about ten minutes.

'No.'

'But you were.' She could just hear the smile in his voice.

'No. I'm trying to meditate' she allowed and went silent.

It lasted another five minutes, before Loki decided he was bored and wanted some entertainment.

'Did you change your mind?'

'About what?' Chantrea asked, with her eyes still closed.

'About joining forces with me' Loki replied and leant forward. 'Think about the possibilities... You and I are both above the mortals; we could make this world peaceful by ruling over them!'

Chantrea snorted, but didn't open her eyes. Her concentration was broken, but it felt nice to rest her eyes.

'If you think so, then you don't know the human race, at all.'

'They need a great leader.'

'Maybe...' she allowed.

'Then give me your strength.'

Chantrea opened her eyes and looked into his passionate, emerald gaze. He was serious and waiting for her answer impatiently, drumming with his fingers on the sceptre. She really thought about it. But she couldn't imagine a scenario where they would end up winning. Not in this day, with humans acting as they were and having this kind of technology. A few centuries ago her timing was perfect, but she had lacked power, and strategy was never her strongest talent. Her mouth twitched at the irony of this present situation. Now she had someone to team up with, but the timing was way off.

And her heart had already been tortured enough. She didn't want a repeat of what had occurred last time.

'Thank you, but no' she declined as politely as she could.

But Loki wasn't the kind of man who would take no for an answer. He stood up in one, fluid motion, taking a step in Chantrea's direction and held his sceptre out. The tip of it touched above Chantrea's heart and she immediately felt a foreign power wash over her.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: Thank you, Jazz, as always!_

_Interesting fact: I've found Natasha's name spelled as Romanoff, Romanov and also, Romanova. Though the last wouldn't be a surname (it'd be a patronymic name). And since Romanov is pronounced similar to Romanoff, I went with it. Now, the really curious fact is that 'Romanov' was the surname of the tzar family...  
(And here I want to state again that I hardly know anything about Marvel universe, so it's highly likely that I'm completely off with this, but still, it's interesting, isn't it?)  
_

_As for this chapter... Haha, told you, Chantrea wasn't a careful planner. Loki, on the other hand... Well, we'll see what happens! Can Chantrea's mind resist the power of the sceptre? And will she join forces with Loki? Or... is Loki in for a disappointment? (Well, he hadn't tried his trick on Tony, yet, but he will!) Oooh, exciting!  
I'll update as soon as I can, but I have a busy couple of days before me. Wish me luck! And thank you very much for the love you show for my story! Those favs and alerts... simply amazing! And I'm really grateful for the reviews. They are like cookies for me. Chocolate chips cookies :)  
_


	5. Talent

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 5 – Talent**_

Loki could see the sceptre's power working as Chantrea's eyes turned completely black. He smirked, satisfied with his work. He waited for her eyes to turn fade blue, just as the others' he had took control over, but Chantrea's red iris didn't disappear and the white of her eye remained black as she fought the mind control.

Veins throbbed on her forehead and neck, while sweat trickled down her temple. Loki frowned and put forth more power from the sceptre. As Chantrea's eyes widened a fraction in fear, the small smirk reappeared on Loki's lips.

'NO!' a blood-chilling scream ripped from the woman's throat as she gathered all her strength to get away from the pull of the sceptre. She launched herself away and landed on her side near the rear hatch. Angrily, Loki strolled over to her and lifted his sceptre. 'Father, don't!' Chantrea whimpered, pleading, shielding herself from him with her hands, eyes tightly shut.

The sceptre abruptly stopped in mid-air. Loki looked down on Chantrea's shaking form, unsure for a moment, what to make of this reaction and mercilessly stomping down on the emotion he felt at that moment.

'Pathetic' he spat, ignoring the pang he felt in his chest.

She wasn't worth his effort. He sat back down in his seat, turning his head away from her pitiful form.

'Shit' Chantrea muttered, hardly audible when she realized what had happened. The whole situation brought her back to the moment when her father forcefully ripped away her memories. The anguish of it...

She gathered what little little self-respect she had as she turned to the Aesir; ignoring the trembling she still felt in her limbs:

'Forget what I said.'

Loki ignored her.

Chantrea looked at him with a bitter expression, before peeling off the blanket from around her, then covering herself completely from his sight. After a moment, she turned her back to him and made a little hole for her face, so she could breathe.

Tears rapidly ran down from her eyes, but she didn't make a sound. She suffered in total silence, cursing her fate, her father, her family, herself, Loki, and the whole world. She put a trembling hand on her head when the blanket threatened to fall down. Then she regained some of her rational thought and realized she didn't want Loki to see her like this. She hid her shaking hand under the blanket, after she wiped the tears off from her face.

The blanket fell down to her shoulders and slowly, but surely, her tears stopped as she calmed down somewhat. But the trembling in her limbs didn't decrease. She blamed fatigue, refusing to believe the other possible explanation.

* * *

The rest of the ride was spent in tense silence. When they landed in New York, Loki left her without a single glance. It stung that she would lose his respect so much, but Chantrea forced her feelings down. She allowed a bitter look at Loki's broad back, before turning on her heels and walking in the opposite direction.

"_Now what?"_Chantrea was without money, without friends and without papers. All her stuff was left in Stuttgart. Even her clothes weren't hers, but a uniform SHIELD provided her. She sighed, burying her head in her right hand. The left was resting on her hip as she stopped in the middle of Central Park to think over her next step.

Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten since the lunch in Stuttgart, yesterday. She needed food, which meant she needed money. Her lips curled as she recalled the last time she was in a similar situation. The only difference was that she now had her precious memories and powers.

'That's it' she whispered as she lifted her hand farther from her face and stared at her palm. She _had power_. Chantrea's lips curled into a devilish smile as she realized she wasn't as helpless as she had first thought. Even her trembling had disappeared by the time they landed.

She took a long walk through Central Park, looking for potential targets. She soon found a man in an expensive suit, holding a suitcase and waiting for someone. He seemed a bit nervous and glanced at his watch every minute or so.

Chantrea wondered if the money filled the suitcase, or he had a wallet in his pocket. Narrowing her eyes, she spied a bulge in his back pocket. She made her way over, and passed him. A moment later she stood behind a big oak tree several metres away, casually looking over the contents of his wallet.

She whistled quietly when she opened it and took a look inside. There were a few thousand dollars in it. Immediately, her guilt melted away as she put two hundred bills into her... _"Well, do these things have pockets?"_ Chantrea looked down at the uniform she wore, unsure.

'Ah-ha!' She found a tiny one near her belt. _"I guess it's better than nothing."_

For a fleeting moment she imagined the face of the barista in downtown if she had pulled out a hundred bill from between her breasts. His face would had been hilarious, but she rather wouldn't draw attention to herself. The uniform stood out more than enough as it was.

Chantrea sighed, circled around the tree and headed towards the nearest exit, passing her victim on the way. She put the wallet back into his pocket, unnoticed. _"I bet he won't even notice those missing bills."_

Happily humming, she made her way to the nearest place where they served hot tea and some baked goods. After acquiring her nutrition, she took a walk on the streets. It was busy, even though most of the people were working at this time of the day. Chantrea glanced up at the sky and confirmed that it was around mid-morning. As she was consuming her croissant, she carefully considered what to do. She needed some papers and the safest bet would be to hunt down the Embassy of Germany and come up with a believable story about being trapped here, without papers. And without any sign that Vera Blau had left Germany...

But first things first; as New York wasn't the capital, she doubted she'd find an Embassy there. Maybe a consulate? That was more probable.

She sipped her tea thoughtfully, looking up at the sky. A big building obscured her view. It looked as if it was built in the sixties, though she didn't remember it from back then. Near the top, there was one word blinking back at her: Stark.

Chantrea rolled her eyes, immediately recognizing the name and recalling the person who came with it. _"He wouldn't settle for less, would he?"_ she mused. _"Though, he could've made a building less of an eyesore, in my humble opinion..."_

A blue light caught her eye at the top of the building, but she wasn't sure if it was the sky or just her eyes were playing tricks on her. She shrugged and turned her thoughts back to her plan. She needed to get to a train station if she wanted to make it to Washington without any form of identification. Or maybe she could ask around and see if someone knows of a German Consulate here, in New York city?

But what if–

The sound of a huge blast drew her attention toward the top of Stark tower. She whipped her head upward, seeing a tiny figure moving around. She suspected it was Iron Man. And if he was there and blowing stuff up on top of his own building, then that meant only one thing: Loki.

…

"_Ah, nevermind, I'm just going to enjoy my tea. I have no business with them"_ Chantrea shook her head and took a right turn, deciding to circle around the tower. She finished off her pastry and tea soon and threw the containers in a bin on the side of the street. She walked on, and her steps became hurried without her realizing it.

By the time a brilliant blue light lit up the sky from Stark tower, she was almost running.

'What the–?'

Her eyes widened as a portal opened in the middle of the sky above Manhattan. She caught a glimpse of black before several strange creatures on even stranger vehicles entered Earth. It was just as Thor, and just as Captain America said: an army, from outer space.

A curse in an ancient language slipped past Chantrea's lips as she realized that no matter what she wanted, she was already right in the middle of this frenzy.

* * *

"Idiots" and "humans" became synonyms for Chantrea as minutes passed. Everyone was swarming around on the streets or had stayed in the tall buildings, like sitting ducks. She sighed, frustrated as one of her eyebrows twitched. She started to shepherd anyone she had crossed ways into the tube or somewhere underground. _"If they are built similarly as the ones in Europe, then they should withstand even a heavy bombing."_

She was outside a building which lead to a tube station when the first aliens reached her. She felt a stinging, burning feeling in her arm as she was zapped with their weapon. She glanced down, seeing that the sleeve of the uniform split and a trickle of blood was forming on her wrist. A blast bounced off the middle of her back.

Chantrea's eyes flashed crimson. She twirled around, swinging her arm in a fluid motion. The alien vehicle broke apart and the three creatures that were sitting on them, fell down, before being flattened into the asphalt.

'Woah!'

People were screaming all around her, fleeing in panic. She had just saved them and now they were escaping from her vicinity, terrified. _"Humans... idiots."_

She shook her head; she won't ever be able to understand them. From then onwards, it was personal for Chantrea. She went after the aliens; sending their attacks back to them and toppling their vehicle and flattening them against buildings. She jumped up, hoping to get some advantage over them if she was flying in the air.

Chantrea soon realized it was a waste of her powers to stay afloat, so she landed on an alien vehicle, throwing off its passengers. She felt as if she was in an action movie as she zapped through the streets in the air, racing after the aliens and shooting at them with one of their weapons she took hold of. Dealing with all these alien equipments was a bit difficult, but she managed to make them work somehow.

It didn't take a long time for her to enjoy the ride. She was grinning widely as she made several vehicles crumble to the ground. Chantrea was laughing in joy, before she caught a glimpse of something... huge. It was was foreign, more than anything she had ever looked at, and she had a hard time determining if it was a living organism coated in metal or a spaceship. It certainly moved like a worm and plenty of aliens jumped off of it.

While her attention was elsewhere, her vehicle was shot down.

'Damn!' she cussed, looking down. She gathered all her energy to slow her descent, but there were people standing around.

'AWAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!' she yelled and the humans glanced up. _"Great. Just the people I needed"_ she remarked sarcastically, as she caught glimpse of their faces. Thankfully, they listened to her and jumped out of the way as she plummeted toward the ground.

Chantrea gritted her teeth as she concentrated with all her will to slow down before she kissed the asphalt. Even her healing powers would have had trouble with that kind of injury. She wasn't omnipotent.

She managed to stop about twenty centimetres from the ground. She was still for a long moment, then let out a sigh of relief.

And she promptly fell down.

'Ow... Fuck gravity' she moaned, picking herself up. She was massaging her jaw, but otherwise, looked fine.

'Miss Chantrea?' Captain America asked, looking at her, flabbergasted.

'Look what the aliens swept here.' Chantrea could hear Tony Stark's voice from the earpiece of Steve, who stood closest to her.

She ceased moving when she noticed Natasha and an unfamiliar man pointing weapons at her.

'Is that a bow?' she asked, surprised. 'What century are you from?'

'Put your hands up' Natasha ordered.

'But–'

'Now' the man with the bow emphasized.

Chantrea sighed and followed their command.

'I need you to–' The rest of Natasha's sentence was cut off by an explosion near them.

'Is this really the time for this?' Chantrea asked.

The sound of a run-down motorcycle reached their ears. They turned their heads and saw Doctor Banner slowly rolling in. He stopped the bike and dismounted. Everyone walked toward him, seemingly forgetting Chantrea in the arrival of the last member of the group.

'So... This all seems... horrible' Doctor Banner greeted.

'I've seen worse' Natasha nodded, looking over him.

'Sorry.'

'No...' Natasha shook her head. 'We could... use a little... worse' she admitted.

'Stark,' Steven spoke, 'we got him.'

'Banner?'

'Just like you said.'

'Then tell him to suit up' Tony replied and Chantrea strained her ears to hear him. 'I'm bringing the party to you.'

Not a moment later, he appeared as Iron Man, flying through the sky and with a nasty thing in tow. It was the huge alien creature Chantrea saw earlier. Her jaw slacked and she dropped her arms.

'I-I don't see, how that's a party' Natasha deadpanned, but there was no time for further comments. Banner took a look at it and started walking towards the creature.

'Doctor Banner,' Steve started, 'now might be a good time for you to get angry.'

"_Why?"_ Chantrea asked in her mind, but got the feeling that she would soon get her answers.

Banner didn't stop walking, but glanced back over his shoulder as he replied:

'That's my secret, Captain' he said. 'I'm always angry.'

Doctor Banner's change was instantaneous. Chantrea's eyes bugged out as she realized she had already saw him, a couple of years ago, in fact. The reports of the uncontrollable, huge, green monster was all around the TV news. He was the Hulk. And he stopped the enormous alien creature with only a punch.

He skidded back and the creature plummeted towards the group behind him.

'Hang on!' Iron Man shouted as he fired something at it and blew it into smithereens. Steve used his shield to protect himself and Natasha from the debris, but the others fended for themselves. Chantrea ducked and imagined a bubble around her – she escaped unscratched from this ordeal.

As she looked up, after the creature had fallen, she could see and hear the aliens hanging onto the tall buildings screaming angrily. Hulk roared right back at them and Iron Man landed in the circle the group made as everyone got ready to continue the battle.

Chantrea noticed more of those enormous creatures coming through the portal in the sky.

'If this goes on, we'll be partying all day' she remarked, hinting at Tony's earlier comment.

'Call it, Captain' Iron Man said and Steve stepped forward, breaking from the circle.

'Alright, listen up' he started. 'Until we can close that portal up, the priority is containment.'

'Barton; I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays' Steve commanded, then continued with Iron Man. 'Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything that gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash.'

'Wanna give me a lift?' Barton asked.

'Right. Better clench up, Legolas' Tony nodded and picked him up like a rag doll and flew over to the nearest rooftop.

'Thor,' Steve turned to the Aesir, 'You've gotta try and bottleneck that portal, slow them down. You've got the lightning; light the bastards up.'

Thor spun his hammer, then took off, into the sky.

'You two and me,' he said to the women, 'we stay here on the ground; keep the fighting here. Chantrea, use your powers to protect the civilians.'

She nodded, accepting his order. She had the kind of talent to do just that.

'And Hulk,' Captain America pointed to the green guy. 'Smash.'

He got a big grin as an answer.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: I am so very sorry for not updating for... 1,5 weeks. As I've mentioned in last chapter, I had some busy days ahead. Then, I wasn't satisfied with how this chapter turned out. Then I re-wrote the entire scene (so that Chantrea will get out of Loki's mental hold later), but it didn't work -at all-, so I went back to version 1 and fixed it here and there (and that's what you've just read).  
I'm really sorry for the delay, especially, because you were left at a cliffhanger TT_TT__  
_

_Anyway, Loki & Chantrea are both in denial; the former of his feelings (ohnoo, he didn't just sympathized with her, did he?) and the latter is lying to herself about her condition. Yes, she does have one and no, it's not like Banner's xD  
_

_Fun fact you may like to know: the uniform Chantrea's wearing looks the same as Agent Maria Hills'.  
_

_Thank you for your help, Jazz & Sweet!^^  
And thank you very much for everyone who commented on my story - your reviews always brighten my day :) I've got loads of alert and fav subscriptions, as well - thank you to you, too! :)) Hope you all enjoyed this chapter^^  
_


	6. Relations

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 6 – Relations**_

Debris and attacks were raining down on the people on the streets. Chantrea was in the middle of it all, using her telekinesis to make the rubble fall somewhere out of the way. She stopped for a moment to take a deep breath, before continuing. It was during this brief break that she saw something blue out of the corner of her eye.

She moved on reflex, passing the blue orb-like attack back, as if it were a tennis ball. Her target had to lean away.

'Loki...' Chantrea recognized him. With new-found energy, she jumped up on the next passing alien vehicle. She kicked the alien which was standing in the back and grabbed the other one and hurled it away. Chantrea followed Loki's vehicle and when she was close enough, she abandoned her own and sprung onto the other.

Chantrea aimed a kick at Loki's side, but he caught her leg with one hand. He sent her a disapproving look and twisted his grip on her ankle. Chantrea hurled herself up and managed to free her limb, landing ungracefully on her hands and knees. Due to their fighting, the alien vehicle lost its fragile balance and was changing directions every other second. Loki grabbed the rail on the side, but Chantrea couldn't find a hold and was hurled against him.

She flinched as she landed on his hard armour, momentarily dizzy. As she blinked away the faintness, she became aware that unexpectedly, a warm hand on her hip was steadying her. When her sight cleared, Chantrea looked up at Loki with wonder. His eyes were twinkling mischievously and she immediately pushed away, barely dodging the sneak attack. Loki threw a dagger her way and it nicked her cheek, before she caught it.

But Chantrea didn't think how lucky that it wasn't her guts that were cut. No, she was ticked off, because Loki dared to make a slight graze on her face. She yelled, cursing him angrily, before she became frustrated with her wandering mind.

'Haaaah!' shouting, Chantrea jumped toward Loki, lifting the dagger.

He caught her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. She dropped the weapon and dug her nails into his hand. Anger appeared on Loki's face, before he whipped his head around, sensing danger. Chantrea dropped to the floor, coughing.

Loki caught an arrow aimed at his head and glanced in the direction of Hawkeye, who let it loose. He smirked, but angry surprise was evident on his face when the weapon blew up. Chantrea was carried away as Loki was sent back flying by the blast and they landed harshly after a fall on the terrace at the top of Stark tower.

Chantrea was hanging onto the edge, her legs dangling in nothingness. She concentrated to reach her power, but it was slow to respond. A crash sounded near her and she saw Loki being swept away by an attack from Hulk. Chantrea continued to gather her energy to get on top of the terrace. By the time she made it, she was exhausted. She laid flat on the cool surface for a moment, before finally picking herself up and following inside.

'Puny god...' she heard Hulk talking, before he jumped outside and disappeared in the streets. Chantrea was still breathing hard from the exertion as she stepped through the broken window. Glass crunched beneath her feet as she looked around cautiously, for any sign of Loki.

A strange whimper reached her ears and she cocked her head sideways, puzzled. In a moment, she pinpointed the source. It was Loki, and he was laying on the ground.

"_More like he's been plummeted into it"_ Chantrea stepped closer to examine the situation. _"Several times, in fact."_

'Ouch' she winced in sympathy. _"That must really hurt."_ With that thought, she automatically stepped closer and knelt beside him. Loki seemed to have some trouble with breathing and Chantrea gently touched her hand above his chest. Through layers of armour and leather, her healing energy slowly, but surely reached him.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on easing his pain, healing him. After a moment, she felt dizzy and had to back away, cutting the connection between them. She sat down, leaning back on her palms and took deep breaths to fight off the fatigue and crush that little, panicked voice in the back of her mind that said that it wasn't supposed to be like this. Healing was her special talent, which made her unique among her people and it was supposed to come naturally. It wasn't supposed to be exhausting. And she wasn't supposed to be shaking like a puny mortal suffering shock.

She had to lean forward, so as not to put weight on her arms – she was sure they wouldn't hold her. She pulled her legs up and put her arms around them. Her breathing calmed down a little and she noticed the lack of movement around her. She glanced to the side and saw Loki was watching her, with an indescribable expression on his face. Chantrea lifted one eyebrow.

'Why did you help me?'

'Because–' Chantrea trailed off. Why did she? Just a moment ago they were at each other's neck. Scratch that, they've been at each other's neck since they met. She shrugged, remembering what it felt like looking at him flattened into the floor. Her training as a healer, however brief it was, didn't allow her to ignore his condition. 'You were in pain.'

Loki didn't say anything, but his face reflected he couldn't comprehend her reasoning.

'Whatever' Chantrea sighed, looking around. Her gaze came across a shelf, half-destroyed, but a bottle of whiskey miraculously survived the battle. That was her next target. She slowly picked herself up, trying to act as if her nerves and motor skills were functioning properly and made her way over to the bar.

She weren't that worried about what might Loki do; she eased his pain and made his regeneration kick-start, but that was all she could do with what little energy she had left. Which also meant that he was harmless for at least a few more hours. _"Or maybe less. I don't really know the regenerating abilities of the Aesirs..."_ She reminded herself as she looked for a glass. She didn't find one, so in the end, she just hopped up on the counter and drank from the bottle.

'Ugh' she grimaced and shook her head. This was strong stuff and it immediately made her feel more in control. As she took another sip, she could feel her trembling subsiding, as her nerves calmed down. She sighed blissfully and just sat there, on top of the counter.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she suddenly became aware of the lack of noise. It seemed that the battle was finally over. Loki twitched, meaning that he was healing rapidly. Chantrea took another gulp from the whisky, before she heard some movement. She gulped and looked towards the broken window. The group which she fought together, filled in and moved closer to Loki.

He was finally able to sit up, albeit with much difficulty and, as he turned around, he found himself face to face with the Avengers, weapons ready and aimed at him. He froze for a second, before speaking:

'If it's all the same to you...' he let out a sigh, 'I'd love that drink now.'

'Whiskey?' Chantrea offered, lifting up the bottle.

* * *

After they had secured Loki, the Avengers went out to eat shawarma as Tony had suggested earlier. Chantrea tagged along, happy to have some real meal in her stomach. It was really a wonder she didn't faint with only a croissant for a day and a half.

'Mhmm... I didn't know what you were talking about,' she said, gulping down a bite, 'but this is like döner kebab! Or gyros! I love it! I could eat more!'

'Nice to see that... you're enjoying yourself' Tony said, a bit taken aback by her speed of consuming her meal.

'I'm going to get another' Chantrea stood up and went up to the counter. Thankfully, they were the only customers, since everyone was working on dealing with the aftermaths of the battle. Miraculously, this shawarma restaurant survived it. It was as tough as Tony's whiskey.

'This food, I like it' Thor said, smiling, mouth full.

'Just don't smash the plate on the floor' Natasha warned him between two bites. She saw the report on Thor's last visit to Earth.

'I wasn't going to' he said, seemingly offended.

'Ah, this is really good stuff' Chantrea returned with and extra big portion of shawarma.

Thor looked her over sceptically, silently wondering how all that food would fit inside her stomach. She was so tiny, compared to him. Now, if it was Volstagg, he wouldn't be surprised.

They ate in good spirits, enjoying the meal and making light conversation. The danger was taken care of, New York city and most of its residents survived and Earth remained free of Loki's schemes. And now they were eating a most delicious food. All was good.

* * *

Loki was kept in a glass cage, similar to the one before, in a building in New York which was a property of SHIELD. The group had disappeared somewhere after taking him into custody, leaving him alone with his dark thoughts. If he knew his brother, then Thor would insist that he would be taken back to Asgard to be judged by their laws. To be judged by Odin, whom he once thought of as father. And he, Loki would probably be able to talk his way out of the punishment. Or at least convince them to give him a lighter one. Frigga would be on his side, wouldn't she?

He was lost in his thoughts, so he only noticed the fact that he wasn't alone when the glass door swished back into place. He glanced up, seeing Chantrea cleaned up, in a brand new uniform SHIELD provided. She held herself proud, as always, but she was pale. She was holding something.

Chantrea stepped toward him, but he didn't stand up from his seat.

'I thought you would be hungry' she said simply, leaving the package next to him. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, biting her lip, hesitating. Then she shook her head and turned around to leave.

As the glass door slid open and she stepped outside, she swore she heard Loki mutter something that suspiciously sounded like 'thank you', but when she turned around to look at him, he was indifferently sitting there, like a statue. He didn't touch the pack she left him.

Chantrea stared at him for a moment more, before turning around and leaving. She was seriously exhausted and she needed her sleep. She knew tomorrow would be no walk in the park; Natasha and Clint promised to take her to meet Fury, again. She supposed she had earned some good points with helping out in the fight against Loki and his army, but from their point of view, she was a volatile and unknown element.

She sighed, rubbing her face and went to find an empty office which had a sofa or something. She had food, now she needed sleep. And she would deal with her problems tomorrow.

* * *

As soon as Chantrea was out of sight, Loki glanced at the package. The food inside smelled good and after a bit of battling with himself, he decided to take what he can. He was indeed hungry and he needed his energy for his return to Asgard. He opened the paper bag and found a strangely presented meal. The meat and vegetables were wrapped in some kind of flat bread. There were plenty of napkins – paper, of course – and he spent a whole minute trying to figure out how to hold and eat the damn thing.

But it was worth it in the end. It was delicious for a Midgardian food, he supposed. He ate in silence, but he couldn't enjoy his meal completely. His thoughts wandered to the woman who brought the food for him. He was suspicious and baffled at her behaviour. She helped him heal – however little she did – and now she brought him some much needed nutrition. All this despite the fact that they were trying to kill or overpower each other continuously.

Either she was very naïve, or she was planning something. But he will be prepared when she comes to him for whatever she wants. He, the god of mischief, the trickster, won't be tricked, again.

* * *

The next day, everyone met up in Central Park. Erik Selvig brought the Tesseract and the plan was that Thor and Loki would use it to return to Asgard, then everybody would go on their merry way. Except Chantrea who had a date with Fury. Needless to say, she wasn't looking forward to it.

Chantrea arrived with Natasha and Clint and had to forcefully silent a strange noise threatening to bubble out of her when she caught sight of the Aesir brothers. Thor was leading Loki by the arm, who was cuffed _and_ muzzled.

'Why is he...?' Chantrea asked, surprised, as she patted Natasha's shoulder and nodded in Loki's direction.

'He is also known as a very adept liar' she explained.

Still, it was very strange to see him like this.

Thor and Loki stopped and the others surrounded them. Erik Selvig brought the Tesseract and a container; and Doctor Banner carefully put the cube into the contraption. After all was done Thor said his goodbyes and patted Eric, his friend on the shoulder. As he took hold of the appliance which now held the Tesseract, Chantrea glanced around, noticing the SHIELD agents around them who ensured no civilians would get near.

Central Park was a busy place, after all. Chantrea was just about to turn back to see Thor and Loki off, when she noticed a familiar face in the distance. She blinked, but no, the image didn't disappear! And the face of the woman reflected that she, too, recognized her.

Chantrea's eyes widened in fear. She wasn't ready for this meeting, not yet. She'd rather meet with Fury, a thousand times over, before meeting a member of her family.

'Bye, guys!' she shouted and jumped towards the brothers, just as Thor twisted the handle of the contraption.

Chantrea disappeared in a blue light with them, hanging onto Loki's shoulders.

Stunned silence followed.

'Did she just–?' Natasha asked, not able to finish her sentence.

'Yeah.' Clint nodded.

'You tell Fury' she managed and Hawkeye turned to her, indignant.

Before they could continue, a soft curse broke into the conversation.

'Damn it' said a woman right next to them. She wasn't there a second ago. She raked her fingers in her short brown hair in frustration. 'I didn't think she'd do that...'

'Who are you?' Tony looked her over, sliding his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose.

She stopped pacing and looked at all of them.

'Someone who wanted to have a word with Chantrea. But she got away... Damn...'

'So she escaped because of you?' Steve asked, to clarify.

The woman mulled it over for a moment, before nodding.

'I think so, yes.'

'And here I thought she didn't want to go to Fury' Tony mumbled, looking away.

'Why wouldn't she want to meet you?' Bruce asked. 'Who are you to her?'

She crossed her arms.

'You, people, are very suspicious, if I may say.'

'We have reason' Steve replied.

The young woman nodded.

'And you're right, if it's connected to her, I guess...'

'So?' Tony asked, again.

'Oh, I'm Danna' she introduced herself, smiling. 'Nice to meet you. I'm Chantrea's sister.'

Clint was staring at her eyes.

'Your iris is red, just like hers. Do you have some powers, too?'

Danna let out a half-smile. Her eyes were twinkling, as she uncrossed her arms and put a finger to her lip in a gesture of silence.

'Wouldn't you want to find out?' she winked, before disappearing completely.

Another silence followed her departure. Tony couldn't contain a sarcastic remark:

'Well, what a lovely family!'

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: An enormous thank you for Jazz! The points you made were very valuable :)_

_Loki! And more Loki! There was only one (and a half?) scene where Loki wasn't present in this chapter. Yay! And I think I understand why I got only a few reviews for last chapter (compared to the ones before - and don't get me wrong, those reviews I did get made me very happy!), and it's because Loki hardly made an appearance and... looking back on it, it felt like a filler chapter for you, right? Well... umm... maybe? I needed to get it done, but to be honest, I would've rather written the chapter after this. Finally! The movie ends and we're going to Asgard, with more Loki, and more info about Chantrea and her people.  
_

_And don't be afraid of Chantrea turning into a Mary-Sue (if that thought had crossed your mind). Most of her abilities are common things amongst her people - her unique specialty is healing, yes, but the others are common. I'll explain it in a later chapter. Or someone else will do ;)__  
_

_I hope you liked this chapter - I'm looking forward to your comments! And I can promise more Loki from now on!^^ Also, tell me, pleasepleaseplease if there was something you didn't like. I want to improve, and that's how you can help me. And yourself, because I'll take notes and keep them in mind next time I write, which will make the story more enjoyable to you ;)  
And thank you for everyone who put my story and I as favourites and/or on alerts! :))  
_


	7. Home

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 7 – Home**_

'You?' Thor looked over Loki's shoulder, at Chantrea. She had never seen him so confused.

'Ah, yeah...' she waved awkwardly, hanging onto Loki's shoulders, but the younger brother had had enough of being a crutch and shrugged her off.

'Woah' Chantrea struggled for a moment to find her balance, before glancing up at Loki, annoyed. He blinked indifferently. Chantrea rolled her eyes. 'Alright, sorry, but I didn't have much of a choice.'

'What are you doing here?' Thor asked and she turned to him, arms crossed.

'I've always wanted to visit the legendary Asgard!'

'And this seemed like a good moment to make this trip?'

'Exactly!' Chantrea nodded, smiling brightly.

'If that was the case, you would have told us beforehand' Thor pointed out and she frowned.

'I really wanted to see Asgard. But I agree, it was the spur of the moment.'

Loki, who was looking bored, glanced up at the sound of footsteps. A very tall man approached them. He wore a golden armour, complete with helmet and a long sword. His booming voice greeted Thor.

'The king and the queen had been informed of your arrival, my prince.'

'Heimdall' Thor nodded, smiling. 'Good to see you again.'

The man bowed a little and that's when he noticed Chantrea looking up at him, mouth slightly agape. He glanced at her, questioningly. She shut her mouth with a snap, before extending her hand.

'Nice to meet you' she said. 'I'm Chantrea.'

'Heimdall' he replied after a pause, shaking her hand awkwardly. It was clear he was not used to such greetings.

Chantrea couldn't help herself:

'Are all of you giants?' she asked, glancing between the three men.

'No; you're just tiny' Thor answered simply and she sent him a glare. He just laughed, before turning serious. He gave the Tesseract to Heimdall, and grabbed Loki by the arm.

'It's time we go see father.'

Loki glanced at him, annoyed, as he was being lead. Chantrea walked behind them, next to Heimdall. The silence which covered the group was too much for the lone woman there. Soon, she turned to Heimdall, curious.

'So... what do you do here? Are you maybe... a guard?'

Heimdall glanced at her briefly, before answering:

'I am the gatekeeper.'

It took a moment for Chantrea to realize what he meant.

'You mean, of the Bifrost.'

'Indeed.'

'Hmhmm...'

After a couple more unsuccessful attempts at making a conversation, Chantrea gave up and decided to entertain herself by examining their surroundings. They were currently on top of a bridge, which sparkled in every imaginable colour of the rainbow as they were walking on it. It didn't have any fence on the sides. Chantrea glanced down, over the edge of the bridge and saw dark water. She looked back, noticing how the bridge suddenly cut off, as if it was broken. She could hear the sound of a waterfall near.

She decided to concentrate on the sight before her; they were nearing the majestic city of Asgard. As the last rays of sunlight touched the buildings, everything shone in a bright, golden colour. Chantrea found it curious that the sky wasn't the usual dark blue or black, dotted with stars as she had come to expect on Earth, but it reminded her of pictures she saw of outer space. She stared in awe, completely dazzled by the beautiful sight.

When she had regained her wit, she noticed they were heading towards a huge building, not that far from the city's gates. Chantrea suspected it must be the castle. It had golden towers and everything was enormous. A whole army could have fit through the gate, and the guards, who could be found on almost every corner, stood at attention, with excellent armour and weapons.

Chantrea unconsciously straightened up as they stepped inside the huge building. Her whole demeanor changed at the moment they had crossed the threshold. She held herself regally, ignoring the curious stares she had received from people they had encountered. From the little group, only Loki had noticed her strange behaviour as he narrowed his eyes.

* * *

Danna realized that the last time she raked through her hair, she gathered some strands in her hand. Sighing in frustration, she showed them into the ocean and opted to tap with her foot, which in turn made her companion annoyed. But he didn't dare say anything, just continued rowing. Or more precisely, making the ladles row with his telekinesis. Danna might have had the gift of teleportation, but it was useless in this situation and she had never got the hang of how to make objects move with her mind.

This situation was nerve wrecking every damn time. The only place on Earth that she couldn't just pop in and out of was, ironically, her homeland. It was hard to get near to the island, because the strange magnetic occurrences nearby. The ocean was cruel, so was the magic that surrounded the place. If any human tried to get near, they never returned, and that was only if they were lucky.

Danna shivered as they entered the coastal range. It wasn't long before their boat started shaking, trying to survive the violent currents and electric storm in the area. Danna gripped the edge of the boat tighter. She trusted her navigator would get her to safety and she secretly murmured a grateful prayer to her ancestors that she was never the kind to get sea-sick. Her late sister, Leakena wasn't so lucky and Danna remembered that she had hardly went out into the mortal world.

'We have arrived, Danna-sama*' the boatman said and Danna realized that somewhere along the way, she had shut her eyes. Now, she opened them and mumbled a thank you, scrambling out to the shore. It was heavenly to feel the land below her feet, again.

Danna sighed, happy to be back and took a moment to appreciate the sandy beaches and the lush greenery that surrounded her. She glanced up at the ever-present stormy clouds. They changed colours as often as the traffic lights in the human world, except they were in all the colours of the rainbow.

A lightning struck in the distance and Danna felt it time to go on and face her parents. She was not looking forward to this meeting, but she had a duty to fulfil. She needed to report what had happened with Chantrea.

* * *

Thankfully, inside the island, she could use her teleportation skills, so it only took a matter of seconds for her to appear in front of her parents.

'Danna!' her mother spoke, surprised when she caught sight of her daughter.

'You are alone' she noticed, her eyes narrowing. Hastily, she dismissed the people around. Only Danna's father remained with them. 'Explain this to me: you were supposed to come back only if Chantrea's memory is back, with her. If her memories are still sealed, you shouldn't be here. So what are you doing here, alone?'

Seyha was a kind mother, but a very strict ruler. She had long, straight, black hair and ruby red eyes. Her rather intense gaze was focused on her daughter.

'Mother' Danna bowed, respectfully. 'I've encountered some... unexpected complications.'

'Does it have anything to do with what's been happening in New York?' Orion, her father asked. He had a grim character and his short-cropped silver hair just added to the effect.

'Indeed' Danna nodded. 'Chantrea's memories are back.'

Tense silence followed her words.

'Is she responsible for that destruction?' Seyha asked, cautious.

'No-no' Danna quickly shook her head. 'She was helping the mortals.'

Her parents didn't need to know that Chantrea needed a little nudge to do that.

'Then...?'

'Well... I think she noticed me and... well, fled.'

Orion's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something was still not adding up.

'Where to?'

'Asgard?' Danna gulped at the stormy look on his father's face.

'_What?_' her mother asked, straightening in her seat. 'But the Bifrost is gone!'

'The battle in New York was over the Tesseract. Thor used it to go back to Asgard with Loki and Chantrea... hitchhiked.'

'Hitchhiked' Seyha repeated, disbelieving. She took a deep breath and leant back on her throne. She buried her face in her hand, while mumbling. 'Why does she _love_ to make things complicated?'

Orion didn't seem fazed as he immediately concentrated on a solution to the problem at hand:

'We need to finish the prototype as soon as possible.'

'Prototype?' Danna asked. 'For what?'

Her father turned to her:

'Ever since the Bifrost was destroyed in Asgard, we've been working on a way to reconnect the two realms' he explained. 'I believe we're close to accomplish it.'

'Oh.'

'And since it's your task to oversee Chantrea's return and you're gifted with teleportation, you'll be the one to retrieve her' Seyha finished.

'Oh.'

Danna couldn't find any words to describe what she felt at that moment.

* * *

After a relatively short walk, Thor's group had arrived at the throne room. Noblemen and warriors murmured on the sides of the room as they caught sight of the small group.

Thor advanced, with his brother at his side. Loki was still cuffed and muzzled. He stared straight ahead, at the throne where Odin sat. His gaze was hard as granite.

Heimdall followed and Chantrea suddenly realized she didn't know what to do. Her fingers twitched as she fought not to fidget. She finally decided to step away, into the crowd, but she followed them closely, on the side. She stood at the front of the crowd when Thor stopped a few steps from the throne. The murmurs quieted down.

'I have returned with Loki, father' Thor bowed a little, before nodding to Heimdall who stepped up to the throne. 'And with the Tesseract.'

'My son, it's good to see you alive and well.'

It took a moment for Loki to realize that Odin wasn't talking to Thor, but to _him_. If the muzzle didn't prevent him from speaking, Loki would had immediately protested. As it was, only his eyebrows furrowing let his displeasure known.

Sadness reflected in Odin's eyes, before he continued, turning to Thor:

'Thank you, my son. I am proud of you.'

The twitch in Loki's eyes didn't escape Chantrea's attention. Odin turned back to the younger brother:

'Loki...You have made me very disappointed.' Loki was unmoving, like a statue, his face blank. However, Chantrea couldn't help, but imagine the comment stung deeply. 'You have allied yourself with our enemies, attacked Midgard and killed countless people. And this was not the first time, either.' Odin waited for a moment for everything to sink in. 'This cannot go unpunished.'

Whispers ran through the crowd and Chantrea didn't need to strain her ears to get the gist of them; it seemed as if everyone was anticipating this for a long time. Long before Loki had even thought of subjugating Earth.

'He was mischievous even as a child' one older woman was whispering behind Chantrea.

'You know, every time I saw him, I knew nothing good would become of him.' Another commented. Chantrea had to fight a snarl.

'Do you remember that one time when–'

'And the front giants–'

'Enough!' Thor bellowed and everyone instantly quieted.

Odin nodded at him, before turning his attention back to the younger prince.

'Some may persist I sentence you to death' he started and Loki gulped, subconsciously. Murmurs ran through the throng of noblemen and warriors at this, but Odin lifted his hand and everyone fell silent. 'However, I do not believe it would be a punishment fitting for you.'

Everyone held their breath, tense with anticipation.

'You will be banished to Midgard, _without_ your powers, in a mortal body,' Odin spoke above the whispers around the throne room, '_and_ devoid of your memories.'

Chantrea's gasp was swallowed by the muttering that instantly rose into a normal volume. Loki's punishment was eerily similar to the one she had to suffer. _"No wonder our parents were friends"_ she thought darkly, glancing at Loki. His expression seemed shocked, but couldn't be seen fully, because of the muzzle. The latter also ensured that he had no way to defend himself or talk himself out of this cruel punishment.

Chantrea felt a pang in her heart, not unlike the first time she had met Loki, in Stuttgart. So many things happened since then, it seemed like a lifetime away. The difference was, she now could pinpoint the feeling. It was a reminder of her old life, of the mistakes she made, of the bitter life she had to lead because of her wrongdoings.

She drew in a shaky breath and squared her shoulders. Stepping out from the crowd, she walked next to the brothers. She went down on one knee in front of Odin, resting one hand on her knee as she bowed her head in respect.

'Honourable All-father of the Aesirs' she addressed him, aware of the shock that immediately went through the crowd at her brazen move. It was eerily silent. 'May I suggest an amend, regarding prince Loki's punishment?'

She kept her head bowed, not daring to glance up at Odin. Maybe she was foolish to speak up for him, but she had made her decision and now she couldn't do anything, but go all the way. Silently, she cursed her impulsiveness, but couldn't deny her feelings.

One of the noblemen from in the crowd stepped forward to reprimand her:

'How dare you–' he started, but Odin stopped him with a lift of his hand. Curiously, the king turned to the woman kneeling before him:

'And who you might be?' There was no anger in his voice and for that, Chantrea was grateful.

However, she could literally feel the anger rolling off in waves from Thor. She suppressed the urge to shiver, because of his animosity and continued, all or nothing.

'I am Chantrea, daughter of Orion and Seyha' she introduced herself fully. Loki furrowed his eyebrows hearing that. Now why were those names familiar...?

After a moment of silence, Odin spoke:

'So you've returned.'

Chantrea's whole body instantly went tense and her head snapped up. She opened her mouth to ask, but thought better of it. _"It shouldn't come as a surprise that he knows about it. My parents were his comrades, after all."_ The knuckles of her hand went white as she gripped her knee. She bit down on her tongue, before bowing her head again and replying:

'Yes.' Fortunately, her voice didn't waver. She focused on a point in front of her, on the floor, feeling more exposed than ever.

Odin leant back on his throne and his posture became a little bit more relaxed.

'Very well, I will hear you out' he said. 'What do you propose?'

'I ask of you, if I may, to let Loki keep his memories.' At her words, indignant murmurs went through the throng of people around them. Chantrea continued, determined: 'You may strip him off of his powers, banish him to the human world and force him to live in a mortal body, but please, don't take away his memories...' She was silent for a moment, before adding: 'How would he be able to amend his ways if he doesn't remember who he is and what he has done?'

'You ask too much' Thor chocked out. Even he wouldn't dare go against his father's decisions! Not anymore! 'How could you–'

'Thor' Odin's leveled voice cut him off. The prince promptly fell silent, and the All-father turned to Chantrea. 'Indeed, child, that was a harsh punishment.'

She wasn't sure if he was referring to Loki's or hers. Maybe both. Silence followed for a long moment as Odin carefully considered her words. For Chantrea and Loki, it felt like a lifetime.

'Very well' the All-father announced a moment later. 'I will contemplate your request and come to a decision later.'

Chantrea let out a breath she didn't remember holding in. It was half-success. She bowed her head more deeply in respect:

'Thank you, sire.'

* * *

To be continued...

-_sama_: It is a honorific used in Japan; for people of high rank. Now you wonder why the heck should I mention it in this kind of fanfic, right? Well, Danna's homeland is pretty close to Japan, so naturally, it had some influence on her homeland and vice-versa.

* * *

_A/N: Uh. Ah. This chapter... I was pulling my hair out! A huuuge thank you for Jazz & Sweet for pointing out... certain things. This story wouldn't be as well told without You as it is right now._

_I would like to dedicate this chapter to Jazz, Sweet and my (other) reviewers! Yes, all of you! Donnabella2k7, Opera123, soundnebula, Wolf, ElleJTrix, Ju, Savysnape7, bookswalower (wow!), HinaTea, CaribbeanTrinidadian, Cassandra Auditore, dfxcm, Miss Sofie who gives me virtual cookies ever since she started reading this story (btw, you avatar is the same as the bg for my phone ;)), VictoriaSketch, xxyangxx2006, SceneNeko, Ninnny and IsabellaCain.  
YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! Your kind and thoughtful words make me want to continue and give my best writing this story. I love you!  
_

_And thank you for the alerts/favs ;) (I have way more than reviews, so I'd rather not start listing everyone here :'D But know that I'm really happy for every notification I get because of you^^)  
_

_Yes, this was an appreciation author note. You deserve it ;)  
_

* * *

_PS.: OK-OK. Yes, Chantrea was _that_ from the very beginning. But I don't like to give away everything early - which sometimes backfireˇˇ" I hope this wasn't (too) abrupt? Tell me your thoughts!  
Next chapter: the muzzle will be down! Yay! Loki will be more active (hopefully, I only have part of it written) and Odin will react to Chantrea's presence in Asgard. And many more, which I really don't know if it'll fit in 1 chapter or more. Ehehehe^^"  
_


	8. Questions

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 8 – Questions**_

Loki was finally freed from his shackles and that damned thing over his mouth. He rubbed his jaw uncomfortably. The crowd had already dispersed; only the royal family, Chantrea and a couple of guards remained in the throne room.

Heimdall had taken the Tesseract to the weapon's vault as per instruction of Odin. The All-father stepped in front of Loki.

'Until I make my decision regarding Chantrea's suggestion, the other parts of your punishment shall be executed immediately here, in Asgard' he said, ripping off Loki's forearm guards. Odin waved to one of the guards who took those and gave a pair of golden armbands, half the length of the forearm guards, to Odin.

The All-father glanced up at Loki's eyes for a moment.

'These will suppress your powers and change your body into that of a mortal's' he explained, before trying to clasp them on. However, Loki moved his hands away. Instinctively, he felt the magic woven into the armbands; or more like the lack of it. They were like black holes, sucking every energy that was superior to humans'. He stepped back between the guards, who immediately restrained him.

Loki looked up at Odin, disbelief on his face. Just being this close to those trinkets made him sick to his stomach; how could the All-father touch them and not be ill? How could he want him to wear them, to allow them to make contact with his skin?

Even though Odin's eyes reflected sorrow, his face was determined. And Loki understood at a single glance that he wouldn't be swayed on this matter. Loki had always relied on his magic, and though he was considered strong in mortal terms, he was always behind in strength among Aesirs. So when the guards had grabbed him, he couldn't move retract his arms from Odin, who mercilessly clasped the armbands on his wrists.

'You shan't be able to take them off. They will only come off once your punishment is over' the All-father added, after he was done. The guards let go of the prince.

'And when will that be?' Loki asked, trying to mask his disgust. Lifting one of his arms, he inspected the armband. Soon, he was feeling a pressure in his chest, similar to when one is short of breath. The sickening feeling in his stomach intensified, and his lips curled up in distaste.

'When you have learnt your lesson and have changed your ways' Odin replied. 'Until then, you are naught but a simple mortal.'

Loki's eyes flashed dangerously as he moved to grab Odin, but the king stopped him easily, with a hand on his arm. Loki tried to make an illusion of himself, which had always done the trick, but couldn't. Instead, he got a horrible headache. He immediately let go of the magic and gritted his teeth. In the background, Chantrea gasped silently.

Odin released Loki's arm.

'And this is what happens when you try to use your magic' he explained, looking a bit guilty.

Loki glared at him, hatefully as he straightened up. He was quickly dismissed and escorted to his former quarters, which were currently under guard.

Chantrea watched the exchange with an aching heart. She might not understood Loki's helplessness, since she had never experienced it with the lack of memories, but she could sympathize with his pain. That his own father would think of such a cruel punishment.

She only hoped that Odin would think her suggestion worthwhile.

Chantrea stood to the side and now that Loki was lead away, the attention shifted back to her. She straightened up, hoping to regain some confidence, when in reality, she just wanted to run away and crawl into a dark corner, preferably out of sight, hiding from everyone. She gulped as Odin turned to her and behind him, Thor and the queen did the same. Chantrea didn't even dare to clear her throat.

'Have your sister found you?' Odin asked.

'I– eer... yes' Chantrea stuttered, surprised. She wasn't sure what to expect, but this reaction was definitely not one of the possibilities that ran through her mind.

'So that's why you have your memories back' the All-father nodded, pacing.

'No' she replied and he stopped. He lifted an eyebrow questioningly, so Chantrea elaborated:

'I believe I have Loki to thank for that.'

Thor snorted in the background.

'Hmmm...' Odin shared a knowing look with Frigga. Then the queen turned to Chantrea:

'So your memories only came back a little while ago?'

'That is correct.'

'Then you haven't met your parents since then, am I right?'

Chantrea only nodded, furrowing her eyebrows. Confusion took place in stead of worry. She didn't know what to make of the tense silence and the couple's reaction. Her posture relaxed somewhat as she tapped a finger to her chin, pensive.

'Are you going to send me back to them?'

'No...' Odin replied, trailing off, before shaking his head and stating, more confidently: 'No.'

'Why?' Chantrea asked. 'I mean, I'm grateful you won't, but you obviously know what had happened back then and now I'm here before you and– I just don't understand.'

'Our end of the Bifrost is gone' Frigga interjected. Thor was glancing between the speakers, with mild confusion on his face.

'And the Tesseract is not a power that can be used so frivolously' Odin added. 'Furthermore, you have no idea what had happened to your people in the century that you have lost.'

Chantrea paled instantly.

'What?' she breathed, before getting a grip of her emotions. She shook her head, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. 'They're sturdy, I don't need to worry about them...'

She didn't see the sad look Frigga exchanged with Odin. Once Chantrea had collected her thoughts, she glanced up at Odin.

'Does this mean I can stay here?'

'Yes.'

'Can I move around freely?'

'Of course.'

"_Of course... What the hell happened while I was away? There's definitely something fishy going on..."_ Chantrea narrowed her eyes.

'Child, you must be tired' Frigga said, stepping near her. 'Come, I'll take you to your room.'

"_Yes. Something is definitely suspicious."_

'Thank you very much, your highness' Chantrea bowed.

* * *

Once the women were gone, Thor turned to his father:

'How do you know her, father?'

'Her parents aided me in the war against the Frost Giants' Odin explained, taking off his helmet and sitting down on his throne. For a moment, he looked as old as his age. Thor stepped up, next to him.

'Who is she? She's not human.'

'No, she is not.'

'Then what...?'

'My son,' Odin began, 'her people are ancient, and have existed on Midgard long before humans appeared; aiding and protecting them when asked. Even though they look alike, they are different. They are the nobles of Midgard. Once, they were called gods, just like us.'

'What happened?'

Odin shrugged.

'After we had beaten the Frost Giants, I came back to Asgard and left Midgard in their care. They chose to live separately from humans' he explained. 'Their existence is not known to the mortals nowadays.'

'So they live in Midgard?'

'That is so.'

'Then why didn't they defend it against Loki's army?' Thor asked, puzzled. 'Why didn't they defend it against the Frost Giants?'

'As for old times, they had lost many of their own, before they had asked for help from us' the All-father replied. 'However, I do not know what they are thinking right now. They are in a complicated situation.'

'Because of Chantrea?'

Odin looked up at his son with a serious expression:

'That is precisely why. But I believe she will come around.'

* * *

Once Loki was in his quarters, he was pleased to note that nothing had changed and – despite what Thor had said about them mourning his passing – everything was kept in a perfectly clean state. It was taken care of, during his absence.

Thankfully, the guards remained outside his doors, so he could move freely around in his own place. He immediately made a beeline for his personal library. Those names Chantrea had mentioned reminded him of something, and it frustrated him to no end that he would not remember. He had to have heard of Seyha and Orion somewhere before! But where...?

Without his magic to aide him, it took a relatively long time for him to find some information. He was always proud of his collection of books and other notes, but now, he found it hindering, rather than helpful. But in the end, he came across those names.

He quickly skimmed through the entry, absorbing the information. When the Frost Giants threatened Midgard, it was Orion and Seyha who had sought out Odin for help, after much struggle against the enemy. Odin had answered their call and joining their forces, they had been able to subdue the Frost Giants and the All-father had banished them back to Jötunheimr, seizing the source of their power, the casket, ensuring that no other worlds will ever be bothered by the Jötuns.

"_Yes, yes, I know all that"_ Loki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the phrasing. He turned the page. _"What about Orion and Seyha?"_

He read on. The cost was great for all sides; Orion and Seyha had lost their firstborn in the battles. As Arun was their only son, they had mourned for him deeply. The nobles of Midgard had remained on a friendly term with Asgard.

Loki murmured a curse under his nose. Now he remembered, but the term 'nobles of Midgard' left him puzzled. Thankfully, there was a reference to it. He quickly turned to look for the other book.

Before he remembered it was destroyed centuries ago, with several others, in an unfortunate accident when he experimented with fire magic and since then he hadn't had the time to replace it. Loki held his head in his hands, wondering if there was a spare copy in the main library, and if he was allowed to visit there. Even if he wasn't and his magic was sealed, he still had means to get what he wanted.

He shook his head and went back to his bedroom to step out on the balcony. He needed to clear his head and forget about Chantrea's ancestry. His main priority was to find a way out of this suffocating situation.

But his curiosity was piqued; nevermind her race, but more importantly, why did she attempt to help him? Not once, not twice, but thrice now.

Chantrea was a mystery to him and whenever he found one, he would always solve it. After all, it wasn't because of pure luck that he became the most talented magician in Asgard.

* * *

The evening meal was a feast, celebrating Thor's successful return with the Tesseract. Everyone was merry, eating and chatting and dancing or just simply enjoying the meal and the music in the background.

Chantrea was about halfway through her meal when she realized Loki wasn't present. No one seemed to mind; in fact, no one had mentioned the younger prince since early afternoon, when they had arrived. She slowed down her eating, her appetite suddenly gone.

She opted for the glass of wine, slowly sipping. Its flavour was richer than any she had tasted back on Earth. She wondered about Loki's situation and tried to figure out why did it bother her that he wasn't present. She knew he was practically a prisoner here, until he was sent to Earth, but... somehow, she expected him to turn up at dinner. Or someone to mention him.

Chantrea made a face, taking a big gulp from her glass to finish off the wine. She supposed she felt some sort of... kinship with Loki and that was why she was so curious about him. She couldn't help, but draw a parallel with her past and his current situation.

She hoped Odin would listen to her.

'And I swear, after that, she went back and ate two more, extra big servings of that strange meal!' Thor was telling it to a big man with brown hair and beard. 'She could win against you in an eating competition, even though she's so tiny!'

Chantrea sent him an indignant glare, to which Thor laughed.

'Is that true?'

'Anyone would have an appetite after thirty-six hours with only a croissant and fighting with an army' she replied.

The big man turned and looked her up and down. He narrowed his eyes.

'You were the one he was talking about?'

'I guess' Chantrea glanced at Thor, who nodded, still amused.

And so, she was introduced to the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, Thor's closest friends and comrades. In the end, it was quite an enjoyable evening and Chantrea was pleased to note that Asgard had changed since the stories she had heard from her mother. Back then, no one would even dreamt of a woman becoming a warrior, but Lady Sif proved everyone wrong. For that, she earned Chantrea's respect.

Sif offered to escort Chantrea to her room, so they could talk a little bit more, without the others' attention. And Chantrea itched to ask a question, ever since the meal started and she had been introduced to Thor's childhood friends.

'So, you are all friends of Thor' Chantrea began and Sif nodded. 'Then you must also know Loki.'

The Aesir woman on her left missed a step, before finding her pace, again. When she spoke, her voice was far from the warm one she had earlier used.

'Yes, I knew him.'

'Why the past tense?'

Sif glanced at her sharply, but realized Chantrea was honestly curious and didn't know any better. She sighed, before answering:

'I thought I knew him, but in the end, it turned out that we were wrong about him, though...' she trailed off.

'Though...?'

'Though I was always suspicious of him.' If she expected the same reaction from Chantrea as from others, Sif was greatly disappointed. Chantrea's face went guarded instantly.

'Why?'

'He was always cunning' she shrugged, then added, defending her opinion: 'And I was right. He wasn't what he showed us. Beware of him.'

'Everyone has secrets.'

'Not everyone betrays their family and friends.'

"_Ouch. Such harsh words"_ Chantrea mused and decided to change the topic. She asked about what one can do around the palace and other, neutral things. It seemed that bringing up Loki would only freeze a conversation.

But she couldn't help feeling that there was something more in the background, something Sif wasn't sharing with her. And why should she? Chantrea was an outsider to them, after all. If she wanted to know more, she had to take her questions elsewhere.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_A/N: I'd actually written __most of this_ last weekend, but it was about 1 page short than my normal chapter-size. And then, guests came on Monday (including a 2 yo girl) and the temperature was about 32-35°C every day (that's about 90-95°F) and I can't properly function above 30°C, especially since we don't have sea near and... and... I was glad I was still alive.  
I was thinking how to continue, but the words just didn't come. Then, finally, last evening, I had some time for myself (the guests will leave this evening) and the weather seemed to be cooling down, so I could write some! Yay! And I've just fixed this chapter now, so I hope you like it :)  
Sorry for the wait. I really wanted to upload earlier...

_Thank you - as always - for Jazz & Sweet, for being my trial readers :D  
And thank you very much for everyone who reviewed last chapter - I love you all! Your comments made me smile everytime and you were the reason I wanted to update soon. So I'm a bit upset I couldn't TT_TT__  
_

_So~ what do you think about this chapter? Something is going on with Chantrea's family and Odin & Frigga knows it, but refuses to tell! And Loki is curious about her. And to top it off, Chantrea still doesn't know Loki is half (?) Frost Giant. Yes, I'm going with half, since 1) he's smaller than an actual Frost Giant 2) he has other powers + he looks like an Aesir, except when touching the casket or another Frost Giant.  
And I don't know if it's correct or not (because, you know, I'm not at home with Marvel Universe), but it's a fanfic and I think it's logical, so I'm going to go with this :)  
Oh, yeah! Jötunheimr! I think it might've been 'Jötunheiml' or 'Jotuheiml' in the movies, but after a bit off googling around (haha xD), it turns out it's 'Jötunheimr' in the mythology. So, there.__  
_

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading!^^  
(and the faves/alerts; the cookies- I mean, reviews make my day, however)  
_


	9. Run-ins

_**Like a Hurricane**_

_**Chapter 9 – Run-ins**_

'_I have spoken with father. He agreed that you can walk around in the palace and the gardens, while he reaches a decision.' Thor waited for a moment, before adding: 'Of course, your guards will be close.'_

Loki sneaked a glance behind him at his two shadows. He scoffed in disdain and continued his way to the main library. It was well after midnight, and he presumed everyone was already snoring in a drunken haze, except his guards. There was a feast for Thor's return, of that, he was certain.

Suddenly, a sad, lonely sound reached his ears and he stopped in his tracks. It took a moment before he realized it was from a violin. The tempo of the piece became quicker, before slowing down again. He changed direction: his curiosity urged him to find out who played this mourning melody in the dead of the night.

It was coming from the room where they kept the instruments. Rather, it was a chamber, with excellent acoustics. The door was ajar and he slipped inside silently. His guards entered just as quietly, but he hardly noticed. His gaze was on the lone figure standing in the middle of the music chamber, gently leaning into the melody, moving with it.

Chantrea was playing on the violin with graceful movements. The faint light of the stars enveloped her and Loki forgot himself in that moment when the tempo picked up – it was as if the violin was reflecting his inner struggles. Then it slowed down one last time. A single note vibrated in the air, like a final goodbye.

A sigh escaped from her as she lowered the instrument.

'What is it?' Chantrea asked, glancing back at him over her shoulder.

Loki blinked at her.

'What are your intentions?'

'What do you-?' she shook her head, before remembering their last encounter. 'Oh. _That_.' She put the violin and its bow down, before turning to him. 'Is it such a surprise someone wanted to help you?'

'_Help me?_' he whispered angrily. 'You call that _help_?!'

'Well... yes.'

'You and I have a very different understanding of the meaning of help.'

'I wouldn't be so sure of that' Chantrea smiled. Loki opened his mouth to retort, but she put up her hand. 'Please, let me explain.'

Loki narrowed his eyes impatiently, but nodded for her to continue. Chantrea suppressed a sigh and smoothed her hair, before speaking.

'I've... made some choices in the past which turned out to be not as good as I thought.' As Loki raised one of his eyebrows, and she could feel his patience wearing thin. 'Long story short: I've been punished. All my powers and memories had been taken from me. Except...'

When she didn't continue for awhile, Loki's curiosity got the better of him:

'What?'

'I couldn't really die. See, my kind has a very fast healing ability. And even though I thought I was human, in the middle of wars, you notice you survive things you shouldn't... Then it got worse... I realized I didn't age. I had to move location every few years, come up with new names and life stories, continuously running away. And from what?' Chantrea shrugged with a grimace. 'I didn't know, because I didn't remember. Even when the Second World War ended, I had to continue that kind of life. I thought I was cursed. Or mutant. That I was all alone and I knew if I made a mistake, even the slightest one could mean suffering for the rest of my life – which is probably very long. Humans can be very cruel.'

'How very... fascinating' Loki smirked, but his words didn't reflect his thoughts. 'Indeed, a nice bedtime story.'

'You asked' Chantrea snapped, a bit louder than she intended. Loki glared at her and she lowered her voice, reminding herself of the silent castle around them. 'Anyway, at least you'd have your memories, so you don't have to endure the same. At least you'd know who you were.'

'And what good it is to know who I am if I can't do anything to change my circumstances?' Loki asked, threateningly stepping closer to her. His shadows, the two guards followed his movements and he stopped. He raised his hands, showing the armbands to Chantrea.

'These are my shackles – I can move around, but I can't cast magic. But you know all that' he scoffed, 'because you were there when Odin explained everything. Do you know what it's like to have these on your arms?'

Chantrea was shocked at the anger directed at her and slowly shook her head.

'Go on!' he urged. 'Touch them.'

Chantrea looked at him with wide eyes.

'Do it!'

She cautiously glanced up at his demanding gaze and slowly put her hands on his wrists. She hardly touched the armbands when sudden dizziness overcame her and she had to retract her hands. Chantrea felt a void inside of her growing and felt very, _very_ weak. She glanced up again into Loki's eyes with sympathy.

'I don't need your pity' he spat and turned around to exit the music chamber. 'But remember your contribution to this; because I sure won't forget.'

And he was gone, along with his two silent shadows.

Chantrea's knees gave in as she collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

She gritted her teeth, hoping that if at least one part of her body didn't tremble, the calm would spread out. No such luck.

Her body was violently shaking and she turned on her side, into a fetal position. She hugged herself tightly, willing the trembling to go away.

She didn't know how long she lay there, but when the shaking subsided and she could wipe her tears, she found herself trapped with her thoughts. She remembered she went through the same thing – however not as severe as this – when she escaped from the helicarrier and used too much of her powers. Chantrea thought it was a shock to her system, after awakening from the slumber for a century and that was why her body reacted that way.

This time, it was certainly because of those armbands – when she touched them, she could feel them _consuming_ her power. Her body had not yet recovered fully and she wondered if it ever will.

"_What if it's because..."_ Chantrea froze as she considered her options. _"No, no, it's still too soon for that. I'm too young for that!" _She shook her head. _"I still have time before the _Waning_."_

She sat up, thinking and realized the seizure had stopped. As she held out her arm towards the rising sun she could see through the window, she saw her hand was still trembling. But she also knew it was as good as it was going to get. She just needed to make sure she wouldn't be found out.

Chantrea heard running footsteps coming from outside, so she slowly picked herself up and went to investigate it. She opened the door fully and stepped out.

'Oh, thank the All-father!' she heard a familiar voice as Sif hugged her. The Aesir let go of her and shouted to someone on the far end of the corridor: 'Guys! I found her!'

'What? What happened?' Chantrea asked, confused.

'I went to get you for breakfast, but you weren't in your room and I got worried' she explained, before quickly scanning her over. 'Are you all right?'

'Yes, yes of course' Chantrea nodded just as Thor and his friends arrived. She clasped her hands behind her back to hide their trembling, and turned to Sif with a smile. 'I remembered you told me you had a music chamber and wanted to visit.'

'In the middle of the night?'

'Yes, Thor.' She glanced at him. He didn't seem to believe her. 'I'm a musician – well, one of my lives, that is.'

'What do you mean-?' Sif asked, puzzled, to which Chantrea waved.

'Long story... Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to make myself presentable for breakfast.'

She sidestepped the warriors and walked down the corridor, back toward her room. She brought her hands in front of her and tensed her muscles, so no one would notice her slight tremble. Chantrea suppressed a sigh. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

'What did you do to her, brother?!' Thor yelled as he stormed into Loki's room. The latter was reading a book, sitting in the windowsill. He looked up at Thor's loud entrance.

'Good morning to you, too.'

'Stop it, Loki. What did you do to her?'

'To whom?'

'Chantrea.'

'Why would-'

'Don't play games with me, brother' Thor warned him. He pointed a finger at him. 'I know you saw her last night. What did you tell her?'

'Why is that so important?' Loki asked, returning back to his book. Nonchalantly, he flipped a page.

Thor lost his patience – however little he had – and grabbed Loki by his neck, flinging him to the nearest wall.

Loki coughed. He didn't remember Thor being _that_ strong. His back was already aching from the impact. He didn't think he could survive another toss like that.

And he felt like a rag doll, with his feet dangling a few inches above the floor. He didn't like the feeling.

'When we found her this morning – where you left her – she was _trembling_. Tried to hide it, though' Thor told him. He was almost snarling in Loki's face. 'Now tell me: what would cause such a reaction from her?'

'Why are you suddenly so interested in her well-being?' Loki couldn't help his retort. It was in his nature. 'I don't remember you being so friendly with her back on Midgard.'

'If it involves you, it is my concern.'

'Oh, _that_.' Loki tried to shrug Thor's hands off, but if his strength wasn't enough before, it certainly didn't stand a chance right now.

'Speak, brother.'

'I'm still not your brother' Loki spat, before coughing. Thor realized what he was doing and lessened his grip on Loki's neck.

Loki glared at him.

'We were just having a chat.'

'About what?'

'Nothing that concerns you.'

'I already told you-'

'Get. Out' Loki said in a frosty voice.

'Not until you answer.'

'I don't have to tell you anything. And you can't harm me, at least not until Odin makes a decision' Loki reminded him.

Thor stared into his eyes for a long moment.

'Fine' he spat, letting go of him and storming out of the room.

When the door closed behind him, Loki began coughing. He went to get a drink, but stopped in his tracks. _"Why would she tremble? She didn't seem so weak; not even-"_

Loki cocked his head sideways. Come to think of it, she was pretty shaken when they got on the jet, after escaping the helicarrier. At that time, he thought she was shaking from the cold. But if he recalls correctly, her reaction after fighting off the power of the sceptre was the same: shaking. She tried to hide it that time, too, but didn't succeed.

He smirked, continuing his track to the pitcher. The longer he knew her, the more she tried to hide. Loki wondered how many more secrets she had.

He _will_ find out. And then... then, he could use them against her.

* * *

'I haven't seen you in days.' A male voice suddenly stated, startling Chantrea on the top of the ladder. She twirled around, surprised and lost her balance. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tumbled down, awaiting the impact. Chantrea decided in the light of the last week, not to use her powers if she could help it. This fall would be painful, but it wouldn't kill her.

To her surprise, she landed softly. She waited a couple of seconds to determine if she was still falling, but not. Opening her eyes, she saw Loki looming over her.

'Are you all right?' he asked, emotionless.

For a moment, Chantrea felt as if her brain stopped working and everything around them had frozen. The only thing that felt real and life-like were Loki's hands on her as he held her in bridal style. Her heart fluttered... Then she felt the draining power of his shackles and she jumped out of his arms.

'Yes, thank you' she said, smoothing down her clothes and picking up the book she dropped. There was still one thing she couldn't wrap her head around and she voiced it.

'You caught me.'

'I did.' Loki cocked his head to the side, looking at her curiously. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Chantrea knew she must seem strange, behaving like this, but...

'Why?'

'Because you were falling' an amused smile tried to hide in the corner of his mouth as he replied. Chantrea looked at him with a strange light in her eyes, but she shook her head before he could investigate the expression on her face.

'Why are you here?'

'It's a library.'

'You like reading, then?'

He rolled his eyes and looked up from where Chantrea had fallen off.

'Damn it' she cussed and started toward the ladder, again. Loki stepped away to let her climb up.

'Do you not find what you're looking for?'

She got the feeling he wasn't referring to the books, but she decided to take it as if he was.

'Exactly.' She put back the book into its proper place, with a frown on her face. 'According to the catalogue, it should be somewhere around here, but I can't seem to find it...' Chantrea mumbled, scanning the spine of the books, again, searching for the evading title.

Loki suspected the book she was looking for was in his room, which meant she wanted to read up on her own people.

'Why do you need that book?' he asked curiously and she gave him a pointed look.

'Because I like reading' she replied curtly and went back to her search.

Silence descended around them as they both looked for their books. Loki found his soon.

'It was a pleasure to meet you here' he said smoothly as he walked away. Chantrea looked after him, puzzled.

'I like blue, by the way!' he waved, not turning back as he disappeared on a corner.

It took 1.5 seconds for Chantrea to realise what he was referring to.

'Pervert!' She shouted angrily, face burning. _"And I'm so, so stupid! I'm in a dress!"_

Her ears picked up a quiet chuckle and she gathered her dress and slid down on the ladder, not using the steps. She hurried after him, not sure what to say, but determined to give him a good slap on the face.

She didn't catch up to him and when she exited the library, she didn't see him on the corridor, either. Frustrated, she went to the gardens, in hope that the scenery would calm her nerves. Chantrea hissed when stepping outside, and quickly shielded her eyes from the sunlight. She hadn't been outside her room for days and everything was so bright, her eyes watered.

She felt dizzy for a moment, but quickly shoved the alarming thought into the back of her mind. It wasn't as if she could do anything, but speculate about the _Waning_ if she didn't find that particular book about her people. Uneasiness descended on her as she sat down on the ledge of the fountain nearby.

Chantrea hid her face behind her hands, letting out a tired sigh. She felt a millenia old.

Only a minute seemed to pass, but when she looked up at sound of the approaching footsteps, it was already dark. She had missed a whole afternoon.

She froze as she recognised the figure who had stepped before her. She felt the blood drain from her face.

'You do not look well, sister.'

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

_**A/N:**_ _Erm... happy new year?^^"  
I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I had a rough patch in the summer and, well... this chapter gave me loads of work. Really. This is actually version 3. Thank you for your patience, if you're still here, reading this. And thank you for the favs and reviews. Keep them coming, because whenever I see one, esp. if I haven't updated in a long time, I feel ashamed and an irresistible urge to continue the story..._

_About the violin song, at the beginning, it is _Requiem for a Dream_. I imagine Chantrea would perform it similar to _Kate Chruscicka_ - search this version on youtube, it's beautifully heartbreaking. And I think it reflects both her and Loki's inner struggles.  
Or something like that._

_Thank you for the pre-upload-reading for Jazz and Mesmes :)  
And I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!  
_


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